Raptor of the 20th Ward
by Quatermass
Summary: (Based on my 'Harry Fueguchi' challenge) Harry Fueguchi had a fairly normal childhood, for a wizard raised by Ghouls. Feared and loathed by the CCG as the vigilante 'Raptor', he polices the Ghouls of the 20th Ward for Anteiku. But when Ken Kaneki goes through his metamorphosis, Harry must guide the new One-Eyed Ghoul through a hostile world...but will it be enough?
1. Foreword

**FOREWORD**

While I have been aware of _Tokyo Ghoul_ for some time, it was only relatively recently that I got into the manga series proper. I found myself surprised at how much I enjoyed the series, despite the dark themes and horrific elements. It was past time, then, that I do a fanfic for it. And what else should I do a crossover with but the Potterverse?

However, this story, I hope, will be relatively unique. In many of the more popular stories, Harry is a Ghoul or One-Eyed Ghoul, and while I am currently developing another potential crossover with the same concept, I decided to do this first. One where Harry was adopted by the nicest Ghoul family in the series, one that gets shattered tragically: the Fueguchis. Ryoko and Hinami are already firm favourites of mine amongst the characters in the series, and I decided to have them play a key role. This is a post-Hogwarts Harry (well, he only went to Hogwarts for the Tri-Wizard Tournament) who has been making the world of _Tokyo Ghoul_ just that little bit lighter…even if it means a lot of the darkness still remains.

Anyway, time for the usual disclaimers. Firstly, there will be spoilers for both Harry Potter and _Tokyo Ghoul_.

Secondly, there will be heavy annotations, as is usual for my works. You have been warned.

Thirdly, this is an M-Rated work. There will be coarse language, violence, dark themes and sexual references. Again, you have been warned.

Finally, the following is a fan-written work. Harry Potter and _Tokyo Ghoul_ are the properties of their respective owners. Please support the official release. Otherwise, you'll be invited to one of Tsukiyama's little soirees, and you're on the menu…


	2. Chapter 1: Caffeine and Cannibalism

**CHAPTER 1:**

 **CAFFEINE AND CANNIBALISM**

Ghouls. A subspecies of humans who are obligate cannibals, who can literally eat nothing but human flesh, the only drinks they can imbibe being ordinary water and coffee. Monsters in human skin, so they are thought of as. And yet, they are also as capable of kindness and goodwill as other humans, though this is something that isn't widely known or advertised. But they also have abilities beyond that of humans, and that, along with their dietary habits, make them the subject of fear.

Across the world, Ghouls are frequently hunted by the Commission for Countering Ghouls, or the CCG, an investigative organisation with powers and budgets often only afforded to federal police and anti-terrorism agencies. Many are fanatical hunters of Ghouls, and the investigators are frequently, and with no small amount of irony, dubbed 'Doves' by the Ghouls. To add insult to injury, many wield Quinques, weapons derived from _kagunes_ , the predatory organs of the Ghouls they have killed.

There is a shadow war, then, waged between the Ghouls and the humans who hunt them. But in Tokyo's 20th Ward, formerly known as Nerima, there exists a dark protector of the Ghouls there. Not a Ghoul, at least not by blood, though certainly by adoption. Orphaned from his birth parents, abandoned by his relatives, adopted by a Ghoul family. If there was any hope that humans and Ghouls could co-exist, then he embodied it.

To the CCG, he was known by his self-declared alias, Raptor Taka, a hawk set against the Doves. To the Ghouls of the 20th Ward, he was a guardian. To some other Ghouls, he was seen either as an implacable enemy, or a human who didn't know his place on the food chain.

But to the world at large, he was Harry Fueguchi…

* * *

"…Anyway, there were these two Ghouls, right? They opted to share a body between them to eat. One started from the feet, the other from the head. The one who started from the head asked, ' _Are you enjoying yourself?_ ' And the other Ghoul goes, ' _Yep, I'm having a ball_ '. So the first Ghoul says, ' _Well, slow down! You're eating too fast(_ _1)_ _!_ '"

Of the three boys in their late teens walking down the street, the sandy blonde boy laughed almost like a hyena, while a dark-haired, rather lugubrious-looking boy grimaced, an uneasy smile briefly touching his lips. "Harry, that's not funny."

The teller of the joke, a boy with messy black hair and emerald eyes flashing behind glasses, rolled his eyes. Unlike the other two, he wasn't Japanese, but rather, European. "Okay, it's a bit off-colour, Ken, but seriously, lighten up a little. Seriously. I mean, you don't have to be as loud and obnoxious as Hide here…"

"Oi!"

"Quiet, you. I swear, you remind me of a certain redhead I used to know," Harry said with a sigh. "Besides, you keep talking so loudly about how you want to get laid. Turn it down a notch."

"Hey, you're the one with the hot coffee waitress as a girlfriend," Hide complained. "I mean, you've got good taste, but you don't need to lord it around."

"I don't. You just think I do. But if I 'lorded it around' as you put it, Touka would have my arse," Harry said. "You don't want to get on her bad side, believe me."

"What? I don't believe that. Sweet, shy Touka? I'd sooner believe it about that girl you knew from Britain…Hermione Granger, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, well, you don't want to mess with her either," Harry said. "And remind Nishiki that if he messes with her, he'll regret it."

Not that Nishiki needed any reminders of that. Harry had cornered the young man and made a few pointed remarks about how, if he harmed one of the few people he had good feelings towards from his year spent in Britain, dealing with that stupid blood tournament, then he would dismember him and force-feed him his own limbs and wedding tackle.

They soon came to the Anteiku coffee shop. Harry sighed. He frequently slept over at Anteiku, where he worked, rather than going home, partly because he sometimes slept over with his girlfriend, Touka Kirishima. Today was one of his days off, but he wanted to see Touka anyway.

He knew Hide mostly through Ken, whom he'd met once in a bookstore, trying to get a signed copy of one of Sen Takatsuki's books. Harry had been getting his copies signed, as well as his little sister's copy of _Monochrome Rainbow_ signed. The two got to talking, and Harry and Ken eventually swapped phone numbers. Truth be told, Harry saw something of himself in Ken, the timid teenager being what Harry had been like when he had first been adopted by his new family. And frankly, he was a bit like his younger sister. Harry wondered if the boy had been abused in the past, and guessed he may have been.

Harry entered, and met the eyes…well, the one eye visible, of his girlfriend of the past few years, Touka Kirishima. Her dark hair was hanging over one of her eyes in an endearing manner, and she looked rather cute in that uniform. "Welcome to Anteiku," she greeted Ken and Hide, showing a small, soft and realistic smile…that Harry knew was as false as the average Hollywood star's breasts. "Please take a seat, and I will serve you shortly." She looked at Harry. "Harry, Mr Yoshimura wished to talk to you."

Harry nodded. Given the serious tone of her voice, Yoshimura clearly had some important news. The old man wasn't present at the moment, in the coffee shop proper, so he must've been upstairs. Harry therefore went upstairs, and soon found Yoshimura poring over some paperwork. The old man had a kindly face, and indeed, was a kind man. But that hadn't always been the case. "You wanted to see me, Grandpa?" he said. He'd called Yoshimura 'grandpa' for a long time, ever since they met when he was but a timid nine year old, abandoned in Japan by the Dursleys, who doubtlessly hoped a Ghoul would eat him.

The joke was on them. He got _adopted_ by a Ghoul family. His stepparents were Ghouls, his stepsister was a Ghoul, his honorary grandfather was a Ghoul, and even his girlfriend was a Ghoul. A freak more loved by monsters than by allegedly normal human beings. Irony abounded.

"Yes, Harry," Yoshimura said, with his usual paternal smile. "A few things. Some serious, some not. Perhaps I should get the less onerous news out of the way. Your Mastery dissertation on the Palatability Potion has finally been voted through. Remus just called me."

"Ha! Great!" Harry said, pumping his fist. "Take that, Pureblood idiots!"

"Yes…I admit, apparently it caused quite the stir, creating a potion that allows Ghouls to taste and eat normal food without any side-effects, even if we don't derive any nutrition from it," Yoshimura said. "You're also one of the youngest to attain their Potions Mastery in the world. I believe one of the youngest was that rather unpleasant fellow you met in Britain, Professor Snape. Still, apparently it was a very controversial decision, so I'd be careful. Of course, there are other things to worry about."

"…Yeah, this is one of those good news, bad news kind of deals, isn't it?" Harry asked, his original elated mood deflating.

"Indeed. Firstly, there's yet another motion afoot in the British Wizengamot to extradite you to stand trial for the…ahem, 'brutal and vicious murder of many upstanding British Purebloods'," Yoshimura said. "Dumbledore may not be able to stop this one, either. Apparently that appalling Umbridge woman had found some loophole or other that might allow her to actually bring people here, and the local Aurors may not be able to stop them. Something about rendering so many lines extinct, any immunity that you have as a Japanese citizen is moot."

"Then I'll deal with them. That way, the larders here will be stocked for a while," Harry said grimly.

Yoshimura sighed quietly. "Harry, I cannot protest the use of violence in self-defence. But do you think killing them will stop them? Or will it just spur them to try harder?"

"Grandpa, unlike the Doves, who've got some legitimate reason to go after Ghouls even if they're pricks about it, these idiots are just sore because I dealt with that snakefaced bastard and his cronies. Those I killed were themselves unrepentant racist murderers, even Dumbledore, with all his bleating about redemption, recognised that. Anyway, if any of them try, they'll have Touka to deal with, and you know how she felt when they took me away the first time."

Yoshimura chuckled. "Yes. I believe that was the first time Touka actually admitted that you were her friend. Ah, young love. Just remember to use protection until you're both ready. I may be old, but I don't think I'm ready for great-grandchildren yet."

Harry grimaced at Yoshimura's joke. Even if they didn't use protection, the odds were against them being able to have a child, due to the differing physiologies of humans and Ghouls. It was possible: Yoshimura confessed once that he knew of a Ghoul who had managed to have a child with a normal human, but the likelihood of that happening was 2%. Harry was developing a potion to help that, but he and Touka had agreed that they wouldn't try until they had finished their education, and Harry had finished formulating this potion.

"Anyway, I'm guessing stroppy British wizards aren't the only bad news, right?" Harry asked.

"No. The Binge Eater has come to the 20th Ward," Yoshimura said.

Harry did a double take. "… _What_. That bitch Rize is coming here?! I told her never to come here last time she tried. Even left her a few nasty scars. You'd think even a sadistic animal like her would learn. Jesus, this is going to bring the Doves down on us."

"I'm sure. I've warned your family, as well as other vulnerable Ghouls. There's another problem, though. There are rumours that she was confronted by the Ghoul known as 'Jason' at the Aqua Building."

"…Shit. Aogiri Tree's taken an interest in her? Great. As if we didn't have enough troubles already." He ran a hand through his messy thatch of hair. "Stupid bitch. Stupid, wasteful, murderous bitch. Doesn't care that she'll bring the Doves here. Even Tsukiyama, twisted fuck though he is, knows better. Most of the time, anyway."

Yoshimura nodded, returning to his paperwork. "A storm is coming, as the cliché goes. Outing a Ghoul's identity goes against our code, and this is a place of strict neutrality. But…if you find that she's causing more trouble than she's worth…"

"You don't even have to ask. Rize's the embodiment of everything I hate about Ghouls. I'll slice off her head and mail it to the CCG with my usual message."

" _The Raptor sends his regards_ ," Yoshimura murmured. "Though I don't doubt that they will still want to pursue you. The Quinques you stole ensure that."

"They stole them from the Ghouls they killed," Harry said with an unrepentant shrug. "Turnabout's fair play…"

* * *

He waited until Touka had a break from her duties. It was her he really came to see, after all. Once she walked into the living room of the Anteiku, he dashed over to her and gave her a hug. "Hey, Touka," Harry said.

"Hey, Harry," the Ghoul said, a smile touching her lips, not fake like the one downstairs, but a soft, gentle one. Touka generally had a sullen, stoic and antisocial nature most of the time, with a somewhat short temper, something she concealed when working here. Harry felt privileged that, over the years, he'd managed to become her friend, and managed to get her to show her more human self. She'd even become his willing test subject for his Palatability Potion…and had wept quietly at being allowed to taste cake the way normal humans did.

True, she had been rather contemptuous towards Harry when they first met, and it was only Harry's mother and sister who drew them together. But eventually, a mutual dislike turned into friendship, Harry and Touka warming to each other. By the time they reached their teens, they had become best friends. A few months ago, they had even become lovers, bound by a strange love. Well, it couldn't be anything but strange in love between a British-born wizard and a Japanese Ghoul.

Oh, Touka was still a fairly strong misanthrope with a bit of a temper…but she had calmed down somewhat. The wounds left behind by her mother's death, and the disappearance of her father and brother, were healing. Not healed entirely, but healing. It helped that Harry, having been raised by the Fueguchis, had gotten used to being around Ghouls, knowing the humanity that they still possessed despite their monstrous nature.

"I don't know why you hang out with those two," Touka said as they separated. "The blonde one's a loudmouthed idiot who thinks with his dick. Even knowing I'm your girlfriend, the cocky little shit hit on me."

"Hey, I'm not arguing with you there, Hide is like that…though he's got to be smart if he got into Kamii University. I'll have to have words with him later, though, about hitting on you. But Ken…you know I see a little of what I was like in him. He's like a puppy who's been kicked so many times, and yet is still eager to please. Poor bastard."

"…Yeah, I suppose. He's a wimp, though. It's probably just as well you weren't down there. The Binge Eater strolled in, bold as brass, and it was all I could do to stop myself from telling her to fuck off."

"Fuck…so Grandpa was right. I was kind of hoping he wasn't," Harry said. "That's all we need, having her bring the Doves down on us. Mum and Dad don't need that sort of heat, let alone Hinami."

"Hey…we'll protect them together," Touka said quietly, but with conviction. And Harry knew she would anyway. The Fueguchis meant too much to her to say otherwise.

After a moment, Touka said, "Once I get changed, walk me home, okay?"

Harry nodded. It wasn't because Touka wanted or needed protection. It was more that they enjoyed each other's company. And they hoped that, together, they could weather the storm to come.

More fool them.

 **CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So…Harry's got a Ghoulfriend. *ducks to avoid thrown produce* Oi! I have a right to use bad puns if I want to!**

 **Anyway, more about Harry's family life in the next chapter…followed by what happens to Ken. Keep in mind, Touka did not notice Ken and Rize making a date, or else she probably would have told Harry. She may not give a shit about Ken, despite her improved attitude compared to canon, but she knows Harry does.**

 **It's worth pointing out that Touka is also more of a** ** _kuudere_** **in this story than the sort of** ** _kuudere-tsundere_** **mix she seemed to be in** ** _Tokyo Ghoul_** **canon. I have to admit, she's probably one of the better** ** _tsundere_** **characters I have read, and I generally detest that character archetype…**

 **1\. This joke was modified from one Jason Manford told about cannibals in the** ** _QI_** **episode** ** _Kitchen Sink_** **, while they were discussing a souvenir cannibal fork from Fuji. No, I did not make that up. Obviously, they don't practise it nowadays.**


	3. Chapter 2: A Tragedy Begins

**CHAPTER 2:**

 **A TRAGEDY BEGINS**

His father was working late, of course. Dr Asaki Fueguchi was frequently busy at work. And Harry, after dinner (his mother and sister had only recently eaten, and Ghouls could subsist on an entire body for a month), was helping his little sister Hinami do some study. Due to his mother's not unreasonable fears about Hinami slipping up and revealing the fact that she was a Ghoul to her classmates, Hinami was being homeschooled. Harry had been homeschooled himself, until Mahoutokoro came calling, telling the Fueguchis that Harry was a wizard…and if that weren't shocking enough, that he was famous back in Britain.

Harry didn't really like the wizards in general. Oh, there were many good ones, but they were so obsessed with blood status here, it wasn't funny. Not to mention that a few idiots looked down on Harry for being a foreigner. If they knew who his adoptive family were, then his status would plummet, though only a few people knew the truth for sure in Mahoutokoro.

In any case, he was helping Hinami with learning to read kanji. It was, admittedly, a learning experience for him at times too, as he was still struggling somewhat with certain kanji characters, something that had caused him trouble at Mahoutokoro. Plus, he wanted to spend time with his little sister. Hinami was shy, like Ken was, and like Harry had been. Only around her family, or with friends like Touka, who she called 'big sis', did she come out of her shell more. Then again, Hinami was improving lately. She was becoming more and more cheerful, despite the cruelty of an existence of being an obligate cannibal, hunted by the CCG.

Harry found it an irony how the Fueguchis treated him more like family than the Dursleys. Of course, discovering that they were Ghouls was a shock. It had been a week since they had taken him in…and then, he saw them eating raw flesh, their sclerae black, their irises crimson, the distinctive signs of a Ghoul's _kakugan_ or 'red eye'…

He had run. He had fled the family who had taken him in…only to run into another Ghoul, one who decided to attack him. But Asaki saved him, using his _kagune_ to kill that Ghoul. Harry had been nearly killed in the process, and indeed, his father claimed that Harry's heart stopped a couple of times during the operation…and for some reason, a black smoke seemed to waft from his scar.

It took weeks for Harry to accept that his new family was not fattening him up to eat him, that they genuinely wanted to raise him like their own son. It took longer still for the barriers to truly come down. But eventually, Harry accepted his new family.

Of course, things weren't always easy. Shortly after being admitted to Mahoutokoro, an old man by the name of Dumbledore came calling, trying to persuade Harry to attend schooling in Britain, at some place called Hogwarts, and for Harry to return to the Dursleys. However, after much discussion, the old man eventually admitted defeat. He had discovered that the Fueguchis were Ghouls…and they were worried he would expose that, but the old man, surprisingly, didn't. Then again, he used Legilimency to confirm their good intentions.

Not that it stopped some prick from entering him into what was supposed to be the **_Tri_** -Wizard Tournament. Thankfully, he could commute using a Portkey, but he did stay for longer than he had to, staying for days at a time. Admittedly, he made few friends at Hogwarts, but it was more than he made at Mahoutokoro. Hermione, the Weasley Twins, their younger brother Ron and younger sister Ginny, a shy boy called Neville and a rather dotty girl called Luna. Oh, and that girl Fleur and that boy Cedric.

He despised how a lot of them either hated him, or fawned all over him for being the Boy Who Lived. Harry had to channel some of Touka's scarier faces and sayings to get them to piss off. Then again, by that point, his relationship with Touka had improved enough that, when he asked her to come to the Yule Ball with him, she said yes, albeit reluctantly. They did have to claim that she had eaten before she came to the Yule Ball, so that her lack of eating wouldn't look suspicious.

Of his friends from Hogwarts, Harry only confided the truth about Touka and his family to Hermione, though Luna figured it out. Hermione, understandably, had been shocked, but upon learning that Dumbledore had okayed the Fueguchis as Harry's guardians, decided to accept that.

That year wasn't without its trials and travails, though. Aside from that prick Snape and a rather irritating blonde called Malfoy, Harry had to deal with a bitch of a paparazzi called Rita Skeeter, those three Tasks…and the man who wanted him dead from an early age. Thankfully, by that point, Harry had stolen his first Quinque…and used it to kill Voldemort, as well as most of his followers.

Of course, later on, after that debacle had been sorted out, he got a new person coming to Tokyo: a werewolf by the name of Remus Lupin. Long story short, Lupin had been a friend of the Potters, but hadn't been allowed to adopt Harry due to anti-werewolf laws that were, while not as draconian as the anti-Ghoul laws, were not far from it. Harry's godfather, Sirius Black, had died, having his soul sucked out by Dementors sent to capture him. He wasn't a traitor to the Potters, though, as it turned out. He'd managed to persuade Dumbledore and Remus that another friend of the Potters, Peter Pettigrew, had been the true traitor, and had been hiding out as a pet rat. Unfortunately, Pettigrew escaped, and Sirius, in the ensuing commotion, was Kissed by a Dementor, his name forever tarnished.

Then again, Pettigrew was one of those Harry tore apart with his Quinque in the graveyard, so Sirius was avenged.

Remus had helped tutor Harry in magic outside of Mahoutokoro. Unlike many others, when he learned Harry was being raised by Ghouls, his only reaction was concern and a little shock, not an instant desire for Harry to be taken away from them. Ghouls and werewolves were not unalike in many regards, after all, given the way they were treated by society, even if they tried to hide the monster within.

Harry was broken from his reverie by Hinami, who was gently tugging at his sleeve. "Big brother, I've finished my exercises."

Harry looked at them, and nodded, cuddling his little sister, bring her close. He knew that she felt comforted by his smell, rather than having her hunger awoken. "We'll have to get Mum to check them to be sure."

Hinami nodded. "Can Miss Hemai-onii come around soon?"

"It's Hermione, Hinami, and if she's got spare time, yes," Harry said.

"She's nice…even if she asks me all those questions," Hinami said.

"Hermione's like that," Harry said.

"She has a funny name."

"It comes from Shakespeare. _The Winter's Tale_ ," he said.

It was at that point that Ryoko, his adoptive mother, came in. A rather demure-looking woman with light brown hair, she smiled at Harry and Hinami. "Oh, you're done, Hinami? May I look?"

Hinami nodded, and Ryoko began looking through the notebook, before she looked at Hinami. "Very good, Hinami, but you got some of the characters wrong. Don't worry, a lot of children your age find them difficult."

"Yeah, see, this is why the English alphabet is better," Harry snarked. "26 letters, not 46 hiragana, 46 katakana, and Merlin knows how many kanji."

"Now, now, none of your cheek, Harry," Ryoko said, though her smile remained on her face. "Hinami, dear, you can go and watch TV. They're repeating _Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha_."

Hinami smiled, and scurried out of the small study, whereupon Ryoko sat down with a sigh. "So, did Mr Yoshimura tell you about what happened?"

"Well, if it's about the Brits potentially coming over, not to mention the Binge-Eating Bitch moving into Nerima, then yes," Harry said. "Dad knows, right?"

Ryoko nodded. "He's going to be careful. That being said, I think we all should be. Harry…are you going to hunt Rize?"

"Maybe. If I mail her head to the CCG, then maybe the Doves will leave us the hell alone," Harry said. "The problem is, Grandpa said that Aogiri Tree may be interested in Rize, and you know they're bad news."

"…Then be careful. Rize may appear reckless, but she's been able to evade the Doves before. We'd best pray that what happened at the Aqua Club is all that Rize is going to do," Ryoko said.

"Yeah, well, you and I know that's not going to happen. Rize's going to gorge herself until the Doves come calling, and leave us to deal with the inevitable fallout," Harry said. "Even that wanker Nishiki or that freak Tsukiyama and his allies know better. I need to protect you and Hinami. I've resigned myself to a life of death and violence to protect those I care about. You know this, Mum."

Ryoko nodded sadly. "Yes, I do know. I just hoped…with you in our family, we could have some semblance of normality."

"…Mum, you, Dad and Hinami are obligate cannibals, and I'm a wizard who was thought the Brits' messiah. Normal doesn't enter into it."

Ryoko laughed, somewhat bleakly, at her adoptive son's blunt assessment of the situation. Harry knew that she didn't like what he did on their behalf, if only because she didn't want him to be a violent person. But it was a violent world, and she knew he did it for their sake…

* * *

A couple of days later, Harry's main mobile trilled, in the evening, as he was out on patrol. It was Touka. " _Hello?_ " he asked, his mask's voice changer lowering his voice into an eldritch growl.

" _Raptor, I've just spotted Rize. She's walking with Kaneki towards the building site near Takada Building Street. I can't help the wimp, I'm with Yoriko._ "

Harry looked around. Thankfully, he wasn't that far away. " _I'll be there soon._ " With that, he changed…becoming a green-eyed falcon. He was technically an unregistered Animagus, but he'd be damned if he'd tell the local Ministry all of his tricks, especially considering many were arseholes.

He flew, and found Ken running for his life, Rize striding unhurriedly behind. But even as he dived down, he saw the crimson tendrils of Rize's _kagune_ lash out and skewer Ken. Harry transformed just behind Rize in time for the bitch to hurl him into a wall. " _Get away from him!_ " Harry snarled.

Rize turned to look at him, cocking her head, her _kakugan_ on full display. He knew what she was seeing, a dark trenchcoat, a fedora, and a mask that looked like an falcon. A sneer touched her lips. "My, my, if it isn't the Raptor of the 20th Ward. And here I was thinking you an urban myth."

Harry merely sent a Cutting Curse her way. The bitch dodged the spell, but it bit into one of her tendrils. "What the hell did you do?!" she demanded furiously.

" ** _Fuck you_** _, that's what. Here's what's going to happen. I'm going to kill you, and call the ambulance for this kid…and I'm going to send your head to the Doves_ …" But before he could say anything further, he heard a noise from above, and looked up, watching as a pile of steel beams began toppling off the side of the building. Instantly, he dived to the side, while Rize had enough time to look up before she got squashed by the steel beams.

He glared at the pile of beams as Rize whimpered in pain, before she fell silent. That was too quick an end for her. Instead, he hurried over to Ken. He tried healing him, but there was only so much he could do with the limited healing spells he knew. Instead, he dialled 119 for the paramedics on his burner phone. When they answered, he said, " _This is Raptor. I have just found a victim of the Binge Eater at the construction site near Takada Building Street. He has been critically injured by the bitch's_ kagune. _I have done what I can. Get here now._ "

He looked at Ken as he struggled to stay awake. " _You'll be fine. I promise._ "

* * *

He watched from a nearby building in falcon form as the ambulance came promptly, more than they usually did. He sincerely hoped that Ken would be all right. Apparating with him in that state would be dangerous, and in any case, the Japanese Ministry frequently clamped down on any breachers of the Statute of Secrecy. He was surprised that the paramedics also fished Rize's body out and put it in. He thought that they would leave it for the Doves to collect.

He didn't know it, but this night would change Ken forever. And bring his destiny into line with Harry, his family, Touka and the others of Anteiku…

 **CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Oh dear. Shit just happened.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	4. Chapter 3: The Newborn Ghoul

**CHAPTER 3:**

 **THE NEWBORN GHOUL**

Thankfully, Harry got confirmation of Ken's survival pretty quickly. However, nobody was allowed to see him. And it soon came out on the news that the surgeon, Dr Kanou, had used Rize's organs to save Ken's life. Harry grimaced. Ghouls may be a human subspecies, but they were still different enough that transplanting organs was not a good idea, and while Dr Kanou didn't say anything about Rize being a Ghoul, there was no way in hell the older man didn't know she was a Ghoul.

Harry shared this news with Yoshimura and Touka, the former looking very concerned. Therefore, Harry decided to pay Ken a visit once they found out when he was being discharged. He knew where the young man lived thanks to Hide, as well as when he was being discharged. Harry refused Hide's invitation to eat at Big Girl politely, instead waiting at Ken's apartment. Hide, however, had said that Rize and Ken had been on a date that fateful night.

Harry waited at the apartment, and soon came across Ken, who looked very pale and wan. "Harry? What're you doing here?"

"Checking up on you," Harry said quietly. "I heard about the accident. Can I…?"

"…Um, sure," Ken said, albeit reluctantly. He opened up his apartment, and Harry followed. "Sorry, I'm not feeling very well."

"I'm sure. I saw the TV broadcast of that doctor who did the transplant. Hide told me you were going to Big Girl. Did you enjoy it?"

Ken grimaced. "…No," he eventually admitted, with the utmost reluctance. "Something happened after the accident. The doctor said something about the shock doing something to my sense of taste, but…it's like even my favourite foods make me sick."

Oh shit. Harry suspected what that meant. Somehow, Ken's body was becoming more Ghoul-like. But how to break that to him? Eventually, he said, "Ken…Hide told me you were on a date with someone…someone called Rize Kamishiro, right? And she was killed in that accident, right?"

Ken nodded.

Then, Harry dropped the bombshell. "She was a Ghoul, wasn't she?"

Ken looked up at him sharply in fear. "How did you…?"

"Let's just say I know more about Ghouls than most people. If I'd known you were going on a date with her…you're lucky to be alive."

"…Not lucky. The Raptor…he tried to help me. He even called the ambulance for me. Without him, I might've…I might've…" A sob caught in his throat.

"…I'm sorry. Here. Now, Ken…listen to me. There's something I'm worried about…have you been able to eat anything since you woke up?"

Ken shook his head vehemently. "It just makes me sick. I can't even enjoy hamburger steak. I…I can smell something delicious, but I don't know what it is."

"Okay…Ken…this is probably horrible of me to say this…but start trying bits of food and drink from your fridge. Only small amounts. And do it close to the sink."

Ken, after a moment, nodded. It was painful to watch him try out small portions of food from the fridge, only to swiftly puke them into the sink. Eventually, Ken seemed to have had enough, and turned to Harry. "What's wrong with me, Harry? Please…what's wrong with me?"

"…Ken, there's no easy way to say this, so brace yourself. Somehow, Rize's organs are turning you into a part-Ghoul."

Ken's reaction was understandable. He shook his head in denial, his voice rising in hysteria, his breath coming out in rapid gasps. "No, no, NO, no, NO NO NO NO!"

Harry grabbed Ken by the shoulders. "Ken, listen to me! I can help you. Here." Luckily, he had a spare vial of potion. "Drink this. While you won't get any nutrition from your food, it'll taste normal."

Ken, after a moment, swilled from the potion bottle, and then began eating some cheese. He seemed to sag with relief. "I can eat again…Harry, thank you! Thank you!"

"Ken…it's only a temporary solution. Listen…come with me to Anteiku. _Please_. We can help you."

"Yes…help me! For God's sake, help me…" Ken whined, his left eye suddenly showing a _kakugan_. "I don't… _I don't want to be a monster_."

"…Ken. Just because you're part-Ghoul doesn't make you a monster. Not all monsters in human form feed on human flesh," Harry said quietly. "…Just…come with me."

* * *

They soon got to Anteiku, Ken wearing a hoodie with the hood up. Harry went to the back door, and rapped on it. The door was opened, and Yoshimura poked his head out. "Harry? And…oh dear. What's wrong?"

"…Grandpa…remember what happened to Rize?" He looked back at a trembling Ken. "Ken here now has her organs. He's got a Ghoul's hunger, Grandpa."

"…Oh dear," Yoshimura said once more. He hurried them both inside.

Harry led Ken to one of the backrooms. "I'll go get a package," Yoshimura said quietly. "You explain things, okay?"

"Fine." As Yoshimura left, Harry looked to Ken. "I'm sorry, I really am to dump that on you. But…with you becoming a Ghoul, we need to do something about that."

"…Are you a Ghoul?" Ken asked, trying desperately to get a handle on the moment.

"No. But I've lived amongst them since I was abandoned in Tokyo by my relatives. The Ghouls here in the 20th Ward are mostly those who want to keep their heads down. Some don't kill to eat. Instead, they butcher meat from suicide victims. Most of the others don't kill unnecessarily, unlike Rize."

"…Then Mr Yoshimura? Touka?"

"They're Ghouls. Yoshimura refuses to kill people. Touka tends to target criminals when she's bored of eating here."

"…This is a lot to take in," Ken whined, putting his head into his hands.

"I know. Ken…like I said, the meat here comes from people who committed suicide. They weren't murdered. I know it'll make you feel like a monster, eating human flesh…but have you ever seen a Ghoul who was starved? Eventually, that hunger overrides any and all instincts to the contrary. A hungry Ghoul is little more than a rabid animal. If you let yourself get to that state, you could hurt Hide. You could hurt other innocent people. It's okay. It's okay…"

Ken began sobbing quietly. And it was at that moment that Touka came in, frowning. Harry placed a finger to his lips. After a moment, a look of pity came over Touka's face, and she sat down next to Ken on the couch. He looked at her, searching her face for something, anything to reassure him.

"Be thankful," Touka said quietly. "You've had a life as a human beforehand. You've never known what it's like to be hunted for being born with this…hunger. This shouldn't have had to happen to you. Had I known Rize wanted you earlier…look…it's happened. Like it or not…you have a Ghoul's appetite now. You have to eat human flesh. And here, we make it a policy to help other Ghouls."

"…I…I…" Ken whimpered.

"Ken…I won't think any less of you if you eat the meat they have here," Harry said. "If you go out and kill indiscriminately like Rize, yes, I'd be angry. Think of the meat as being like organ donations. These people committed suicide. They don't need their bodies anymore. You're not a monster, any more than Touka or Yoshimura are. Rize was a monster, true, and so are some of the others around Tokyo, and the world. But you're not. Let us help you."

Ken shivered, before looking at Harry, one of his eyes showing a _kakugan_. "Harry…if you're not a Ghoul, why do you work with them?"

"My family, my adoptive family, are Ghouls. My biological aunt and uncle abandoned me here in Tokyo. Their last words to me were that they hoped a Ghoul would eat a freak like me up. Instead…the Fueguchis took me in. My father kills criminals, but my mother and sister refuse to kill to eat. They showed me more love than any human relative of mine. My birth parents were murdered by a terrorist. It's ironic, isn't it? The people most of society denounces as monsters did more for me than normal humans."

"I…see…" Ken said, shuddering and shaking. Eventually, he said, "Is there a way to cure this?"

"That doctor probably did too thorough a job. It's as if he knew what he was doing," Harry muttered, not liking where that train of thought was taking him. "Sorry. Listen, I'll give you as much of that potion as I can, but you still need to eat human flesh. Also…coffee is one of the few things humans can consume that Ghouls can, even without the potion. It doesn't sate your hunger, though. Touka and I, along with Grandpa, can teach you how to live as a Ghoul. Not to mention people to look out for. You know Nishiki, Hide's friend? He's a Ghoul, and a bit of a stroppy one who thinks he's king of the heap. He needs a reminder every now and then of what the pecking order really is. We'll probably need to get you to Uta to get a mask too, just in case."

"But…but I…I don't belong here…"

"I beg to differ," Yoshimura said quietly, coming in with a package. "Half-human, half-Ghoul…many would say that you don't belong in either world, but in truth, I believe you could be a bridge between them. Just as Harry, being wholly human, but raised and surrounded by Ghouls, is a bridge in his turn. You don't deserve the fate you have been given by any means, any more than any of us here at Anteiku do…but you should make the most of it, as best as you can. If you would like a job, I could do with another staff member." He gently placed the package down, revealing that it had something else on top of it. "Your _kakugan_ seemed to be not under your control. I noticed it appearing and disappearing when you first came here, so I took the liberty of fetching this eyepatch from our first aid kit."

"…Thank you, sir." Ken gingerly took the eyepatch, and placed it over his left eye.

"And you'd better not waste the food," Touka said, giving him a glare, enhanced by her _kakugan_. "There are plenty of Ghouls who won't or can't hunt who need that, otherwise. I'm helping you because you're Harry's friend, and because it's Anteiku's policy to help Ghouls in need."

"Got it! Got it!" Ken yelped hurriedly, taking the package. "This…this is really all new to me. I just…I just…"

"You're still thinking Ghouls are monsters. Touka didn't ask to be born that way. Did you know that, until I created that potion, she never knew what cake really tasted like? When I gave her that potion, a chocolate mud cake was the first thing she tried. Can you imagine going your whole life without knowing how good _chocolate_ tastes?" Harry asked. "Ken…remember, neither Touka nor Grandpa are monsters, and you're not one either."

Ken, still looking miserable, nodded, before standing. "Harry…thanks. And thank you, Mr Yoshimura. And Miss Kirishima…I'll try not to waste the food."

"See that you don't," Touka said, though her expression softened. "And if you get into Ghoul-related trouble, come here, or contact us."

"I'll walk him home, just in case, okay?" Harry said, looking at his girlfriend and his honorary grandfather.

"Take care. And don't stay out too long, your mother will be worried. I called her before I got the package," Yoshimura said.

* * *

After getting back to Ken's apartment, Harry smacked his head in sudden realisation. "Crap. Forgot another thing. Ken…now that you're a part-Ghoul, you'll have to watch out for the investigators of the Commission for Countering Ghouls, or the CCG. Or, as most Ghouls call them, Doves. They either wear white trenchcoats or bog standard government agent black suits, and often have large attaché cases. And those are what you have to look out for. When Rize attacked you, did something like wings or tentacles come out of her back?"

"Tentacles, yes," Ken said.

"Those are _kagune_. All Ghouls have one type of _kagune_ , the type depending on where the _kagune_ emerges from the body. You probably have Rize's now. But, here's the thing. In order to have a chance against Ghouls, Doves basically remove the _kagune_ from the Ghouls they defeat, and modify them into weapons called Quinques. They store Quinques in those attaché cases I mentioned. While many of them are fanatical Ghoul hunters, probably one of the worst is one I've only encountered once, a Quinque-obsessed sadistic freak called Kureo Mado. You'll know him if you saw him: he has lank white hair, a weird facial expression, and he has mismatched eyes. Not different colours, but one he squints through, and the other he has open wide. Almost every Dove doesn't care that there are some Ghouls who try not to kill the innocent, or scavenge from suicide victims, but Mado's the worst I've ever encountered."

Harry was actually telling a bit of a fib. He had actually encountered Mado multiple times, but only one time as Raptor. The other times, Harry had snuck into the CCG HQ to try and pinch files, as well as leave the heads of some of the Ghouls he had killed for them. He used the Invisibility Cloak Dumbledore had sent him for his eleventh Christmas. He'd also sabotaged Mado's coffee after stealing the latest Quinque the man had, making sure the nutjob had the runs for a few days.

While he was tempted to infiltrate the CCG building more than that, there was still the risk of getting caught, especially if a door suddenly opened on a CCTV camera. And killing off Doves left, right and centre within the CCG, tempting though that was, would only cause security to be tightened. And to tell the truth, many Doves actually did good work, killing off the worst Ghouls. But they were also fanatics who saw no distinction between Ghouls like those affiliated with Anteiku, and those like Rize.

Ken nodded at Harry's explanation. "I see. Harry…thank you…but I need time to…process this, frankly. I mean…"

"Yeah, I know. It's a lot to take in." He patted Ken's shoulder. "And I know you're going to find eating human flesh hard to swallow…shit, bad choice of words there. But still…this is your life now. I promise you, I'll be there to help you."

"Thanks…"

 **CHAPTER 3 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Ken's got a crash course in how to be a flesh-eating abomination of nature. Fun times, everyone!**

 **Harry is maybe moving too quickly for Ken, but he's trying to get Ken to accept that not all Ghouls are monsters like he thought as quickly as possible. This means that Ken will begin to cope more readily. I think that if Yoshimura actually explained to Ken that the meat stored in Anteiku came from suicide victims, Ken might have been a little less freaked out at being given a package of human meat. A little less, as cannibalism would still be squicky, but still, Yoshimura, in a few regards, is not unlike Dumbledore. There's times when he has a very bad habit of keeping secrets, not out of malice, but either from absent mindedness or else because he doesn't think Ken is ready.**

 **What's more, you'll notice that Touka is…if not nicer to Ken, then less antagonistic. It doesn't necessarily follow that she likes him, rather, she has a bit more sympathy for his plight. She's more of a** ** _kuudere_** **than the** ** _tsundere-kuudere_** **mix she was in canon. This is due to Harry's influence humanising her somewhat. She pities Ken his plight, but he still pisses her off somewhat.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	5. Chapter 4: Territory

**CHAPTER 4:**

 **TERRITORY**

Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation. Harry had come to see the bushy-haired witch at her apartment. "So, Ken's now part-Ghoul thanks to that Doctor Kanou? Harry, that's messed up. Can't we try to reverse that?"

"The moment we try, he'll get vivisected, Hermione. Always assuming that Kanou doesn't have his own agenda. I don't think it was an accident that Ken turned into a Ghoul. I mean, think about it. I don't know much about medicine, but surely transplanting a few organs here and there won't turn you into the person you got them from, right? And wouldn't hybridising Ghoul biology with normal human biology be difficult?"

"Of course. And I understand your point, Harry, probably better than you do. I mean, it could be that Kanou got lucky and transplanted the organs as an altruistic gesture…but you have a point. The question is, why would you want to create a Ghoul hybrid?"

"A supersoldier? Or maybe he's a mad scientist who does things to see if he can do it?" Harry shrugged. "The problem is, Ken got a lot dumped on him. He needs time to process it. You're studying medicine and biology at Kamii University, anyway. If he goes there, I want you to help him. Speaking of which, has Nishiki been any trouble?"

"No. I put it to him bluntly that I was your friend, and I knew similar tricks. He knows you're a wizard, right?"

"Yeah. And good. Nishiki is an arse, and needs to be reminded of boundaries. Still, he has a long-term girlfriend, one he's not actually setting up to eat."

"Yes, Kimi Nishino. Next time I'm at Anteiku, if Ken's there, I'll talk to him. While Mr Yoshimura isn't too bad, and you'd be of help, Touka…well, she isn't very tactful, is she?"

"She was worse before," Harry said. "Though she liked the way you complimented her hair at the Yule Ball. You made a very good first impression on her, not like Malfoy. Anyway, I appreciate you trying to help Ken. He needs all the help he can get…"

* * *

The next night, Harry, in his guise as Raptor, was on patrol, having heard that Nishiki was trying to take over the feeding ground Rize had claimed for herself. As he flew from rooftop to rooftop, he suddenly spotted Touka on one, and changed back to human form. Touka looked at him, before she pointed down. A couple of bodies, one partly dismembered, the other decapitated, were sprawled in the alley below. And there was Nishiki, a Ghoul with light brown hair and wearing glasses, holding Ken by the throat. "Please, I didn't know this territory belonged to anyone, I swear! I was just passing by!" Ken protested.

"Oh really? Allow me to pose a hypothetical scenario," Nishiki sneered. "You find your girlfriend, naked, sprawled on the ground, and a half-naked guy near her whining, ' _I didn't do anything, I just happened to be here!_ ' Would you be stupid enough to believe him? Personally, I'd kill the fucker."

"Since when was this _your_ feeding ground, Nishiki?" Touka retorted, Nishiki whirling to look up at them. "This was formerly Rize's turf. Overseeing the 20th Ward is Anteiku's job, not yours. You don't determine where you feed. So let go of the wimp. He's had a shitty time, he doesn't need a weakling with an overblown sense of importance making it worse."

" _Agreed_ ," Harry said, his voice warped by the Raptor mask. " _I went to a lot of trouble to save Ken Kaneki, I don't want it going to waste._ "

Nishiki sneered, letting Ken go, but turning to face Touka and Harry as they leapt down. "Fence-sitters like those you work for in Anteiku have no right to dictate how or where I hunt!" he snarled.

Harry looked at Touka. " _So…janken?_ "

"Sure." They then briefly played janken, or scissors-paper-rock…which Touka won with paper beating rock, the female Ghoul smirking. "Right, I'll take care of the trash. Keep an eye on Kaneki."

Harry nodded, hurrying over to Ken, who looked up at him. " _It's okay. She'll be fine._ "

"No she won't," Nishiki snarled. "Mouthy little bitches will go home with stitches."

"Childish, much?" Touka asked, her _kakugan_ showing, along with her wing-like _kagune_. She rushed forward, passing Nishiki.

"Missed, bitch."

"Did I?" Touka retorted, before Nishiki snarled in pain as cuts from her attack appeared all over his body. "Now…scream and run(1)."

Nishiki promptly did so, though he was screaming, "BITCH!" in anger rather than fear.

Touka scowled at the retreating back of Nishiki, before sighing. "I'm gonna have to call up Yomo. This looks like Yoshida that Nishiki killed. Dammit. I'll get Yomo to deal with the human corpse too. Oi, Kaneki…have you eaten any of that meat yet?"

Ken shook his head. "I…I…I…"

Touka facepalmed. "Shit…listen, you're going to have to eat it sooner or later, Kaneki. If not for yourself, then for your friends. You don't want to find yourself ankle deep in that Hide's guts and blood, do you?"

Ken shook his head more violently. "…Is this normal for the 20th Ward? Ghouls killing another?"

"Not for those at Anteiku. But there are those who don't care. Nishiki, sadly, isn't the only one around. Kaneki…a Ghoul's hunger is absolute hell, I know from experience. Don't ever allow yourself to fall into that state. Eat some of what Yoshimura gave you."

"I know, I know, but…it's hard for me to accept. It's probably easier for you, Touka, you've been a Ghoul for your whole life. But…but…"

Harry helped Ken to his feet. " _It's all right. Eat something, even if it's just a little. Trust me, it's better than the alternative._ "

Ken nodded, but then looked up at Harry, his masked face as Touka pulled out a phone and called Yomo. "…You're the one who saved me that night with Rize! The Raptor!"

Harry nodded back. He wasn't quite sure whether to reveal his identity, but he said, " _I'm sorry this happened to you, Ken Kaneki. You don't deserve this fate. If I had been there sooner, I could've stopped Rize, and_ …"

"No, it's fine. I…look, I need to get home. This has been too much. Thanks for helping me, both of you."

As Ken turned around and began to walk away, Harry said, " _Ken…you go to Kamii University, right? Just be warned, Nishiki is a student there too if you didn't know already._ "

Ken nodded, and hurried away. Touka sighed quietly as she finished her conversation with Yomo. "He's not going to last long in this world at this rate. He'd better hurry up and eat some meat from the package."

" _It's not as easy as you'd think, Touka_ ," Harry said.

"Neither's killing his friend in a ravenous fit and living with the consequences," Touka said.

* * *

It was the next day, and Harry was walking Touka to Anteiku after school, when they heard a noise from a nearby underpass. The pair of them hurried in time to see Ken jabbing Nishiki repeatedly in the guts with three tendrils, like Rize's _kagune_. Nishiki was flung away, and crashed into a nearby pillar. "Bastard…" the glasses-wearing Ghoul rasped, before falling unconscious.

Ken sagged to his knees, breathing heavily, the _kagune_ retracting. "Ken!" Harry yelled, hurrying over. "Are you all right?"

"Hide…" Ken hissed, pointing over at Hide, who was lying unconscious. "Nishiki lured him here, attacked him. I…did what you said. I ate some of the package last night…I…I…"

"…Kaneki," Touka said quietly. "We'll bring Hide to Anteiku, patch him up." She fished out her mobile, and called Yomo. "Yomo? Touka here. Listen, we have another messy situation here…"

* * *

They were soon brought by Yomo to Anteiku, and the older Ghoul helped Hide inside, with Harry and Yoshimura attending to the blonde, Nishiki crawling away in the confusion. "He should be fine with some rest. We'll keep him here overnight," Yoshimura pronounced, soon after Yomo left.

"Thank God," Ken said quietly. "Harry…Touka…thanks for helping."

"You were lucky we were passing by," Touka said. "Then again, you managed to deal with Nishiki all by yourself. Not bad for a new Ghoul. Of course, there's more powerful Ghouls than that idiot."

Ken nodded. "…He had this weird blue tail thing, his _kagune_."

"Hmm. I said there were four different types," Harry said. "Nishiki has what they call a _bikaku_ , released around the coccyx or tailbone. If you have what Rize has, you have what's called a _rinkaku_ , which comes from the waist. _Rinkaku_ -users generally have the best regenerative ability. Touka has what's called an _ukaku_ , which looks like wings, released from the upper shoulders, and they're good for speed. The final type, _koukaku_ , comes from below the shoulder blade, and are frequently used for defence as well as offence. I'll explain more about them later. So…you ate some of that meat?"

"…I couldn't stop myself once I started," Ken confessed quietly. "I ate it all."

"Good," Touka said, putting a surprisingly comforting hand on Ken's shoulder. "It means you won't be hungry for a while. Don't let yourself starve for long enough to go feral, Kaneki."

"…Thanks, I guess."

Yoshimura cleared his throat gently, and led the three younger people out. "Ken, have you considered my offer of employment here?"

"Umm, yes. I was going to see you when I finished talking with Hide, before everything went south. In truth, I was going to need a job before long."

"That's good. I would have taught you some necessary skills when dealing with society, like how to fake eating food…but Harry's potion renders that moot."

"Yeah…how did you make it, Harry? Are you like a pharmaceutical genius or something?"

Harry looked at Yoshimura, who shrugged. Harry then turned to Ken. "Actually, no. It's a magic potion. I'm a wizard."

Ken blinked, before staring at Harry. " _What._ "

"You heard. Believe it or not, wizards and witches walk amongst normal humans. We just keep things quiet. We even erase memories to keep our presence secret. After all, given what normal humans do to Ghouls, even if it it's with some reason, what would they do to wizards and witches? Think of what happened in Salem, or the witch trials of Europe."

"…Prove it," Ken said.

Harry rolled his eyes, and waved his hand at Ken, turning his hair green and standing on end. Touka chuckled, as did Yoshimura. "Uhhh, what?" Ken asked.

Touka merely took from her pocket a makeup mirror, and showed Ken, who yelped. "What the hell?!"

"Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger…only, I'm not subtle," Harry said with a smirk, changing Ken's hair back. "I created the Palatability Potion precisely so Touka and my family could eat the foods they never could eat before. They don't get any nutrition from them, but they can eat the food without vomiting or causing any damage to their bodies. You should have heard my sister laughing after she ate chocolate for the first time. Do you know what that's like to a Ghoul who, up until that point, thought that everything but human flesh, coffee, and water tasted like garbage?"

"You cannot," Touka said. "I can actually eat my friend Yoriko's cooking…and I'm actually _enjoying_ it, instead of trying so hard to _pretend_. We walk a tightrope existence here, Kaneki, where one fuck-up sees us falling into the abyss."

Harry nodded. "That's why my relatives considered me a freak. Because I was a wizard. My aunt was a jealous cow. My uncle was a xenophobe. My cousin was a fat bully. I know what it's like to have to hide what I am from the world at large. And the problem is, the wizards and witches are more conservative than Muggles, those without magic. They're obsessed with bloodlines and lineage. The man who murdered my parents, Voldemort, was basically a magical Nazi. And a hypocrite, given that Dumbledore told me he was what they call a Halfblood." On Ken's confused look, Harry added, "Dumbledore is the headmaster of the British magical school Hogwarts."

"Hog-what?" Ken laughed.

"Hey, magicals have crappy names for everything. I mean, in Britain, the main magical shopping trip is called 'Diagon Alley', which is like the English word 'diagonally'."

Ken snorted at that. "Seriously? Are dragons real? Vampires? Werewolves? Catgirls?"

"All of the above," Harry said. "I even have a werewolf as an honorary uncle, and he's the nicest guy when it's not his time of the month."

"Hey!" Touka snapped, swatting Harry lightly over the head. "Don't compare him turning into a monster with a period! I told you that before! It's not funny!"

"Is so," Harry said, poking his tongue out at Touka.

"Stop being so immature," Touka retorted.

"Bite me."

"Don't give me any ideas, anger makes me peckish!"

Yoshimura was chuckling at their antics. "Ah, young love." He then turned to Ken. "It'll be a pleasure to have you with us, Ken. Hopefully, you can see for yourself that we are more than the ravenous monsters many believe us to be."

"…I don't think that of you or Miss Kirishima, sir," Ken said. "I can already believe that you're good people with a cursed hunger."

"…Thank you."

* * *

Touka and Harry were staying overnight at Anteiku, in their own bedroom. The two spooned in bed, clothed in pyjamas. "He's still a wimp," Touka remarked quietly. "He's not going to last long in our world unless he toughens up soon."

"We'll help him. The Palatability Potion will help him feel a bit normal. But we need to teach him how to protect himself."

"Hmm. He's so timid, it's not funny. And he was like that before he got attacked by Rize. What the hell happened to him?"

"I don't know. I know his father died when he was a toddler, and his mother died from _karoushi_ , working herself to death. He was raised by his aunt…but I don't know much about that. For all I know, she was like my aunt."

"So his life wasn't all sunshine and rainbows," Touka remarked. "I guess Anteiku's filled with those life fucked over. Still, I'm not going to go easy on him."

"Just…we want to toughen him up, Touka, not break him. Anyway, if you want, I'll take him to Uta's. That way, you won't have to sacrifice one of your days off."

"Thanks…"

 **CHAPTER 4 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Ken's survived his first encounters post-Ghoulification.**

 **I decided to have Ken eat the meat package (that's what she said!) partly because Harry and Touka have been warning him about the consequences, and partly because, given Harry's support and the Palatability Potion, not to mention being told where the meat comes from, he has less reluctance to eat it, just enough to make a difference, meaning that he won't try to eat Hide, and that Touka doesn't have to kick his scrawny arse.**

 **Also, I'm considering another crossover of this type, but with the Harry/Eto pairing that some people suggested when I first mooted this crossover in** ** _Children of the Revolution_** **. I've written two chapters and posted them in the Cauldron under** ** _Owls of Minerva_** **.**

 **Review-answering time!** **PrimeMegalodon** **: I'm yet to get that far into the manga (I'm up to volume 5 as of writing), even if I'm aware of some future developments. However, I'm hoping to make Kaneki into Harry's apprentice, to help protect Anteiku.**

 **kyugan** **: Not really. Harry usually pranks them with what he has on hand.**

 **Leicontis** **: I do recommend** ** _Tokyo Ghoul_** **, particularly the manga. I'm not really a horror person, but it turned out to be surprisingly compulsive reading. As for** ** _Ranma ½_** **, I should really get to reading that one of these days. I have an omnibus volume of the first couple of manga volumes, I have no excuse.**

 **1\. This comes from the first episode of** ** _Tokyo Ghoul: The Abridged Series_** **by Master Hirano.**


	6. Chapter 5: Mums and Masks

**CHAPTER 5:**

 **MOTHERS AND MASKS**

Harry hung up his phone in shock. Yoshimura looked over at him. "Problems?"

"That was Dad. Apparently 'Jason' barged into the clinic, demanding a new set of butchering pliers made from Quinque Steel," Harry said, grimacing. "He's sending Mum and Hinami over here to lie low for a while."

"Who's Jason?" Ken asked as he tried to practise brewing some coffee. Hide had gone home, convinced that he had been involved in an accident, thankfully.

"Nobody you should have to worry about, hopefully," Yoshimura said.

Harry shot a glare at his honorary grandfather. "Grandpa, he needs to know."

"Then you can explain it."

Harry nodded, and then met Ken's eyes. "Okay, as you may have noticed, Ghouls have their own little factions and gangs. Jason is a member of Aogiri Tree, what you might call a terrorist group of Ghouls. Jason's called that because he wears a hockey mask, like Jason from the _Friday the 13_ _th_ films. He's a tall, hulking guy too, usually wears a white suit. I don't know his real name, but I've seen his real face. He's uglier than the mask he wears. The problem is, between Rize and Jason, the Doves are probably coming to the 20th Ward. I'll have to take you to see Uta soon."

"Uta?" Ken asked.

"He's a mask maker. Ghouls are his most frequent customers, due to, well, they need to conceal their faces from the Doves, right? You'll need one. Even I have one."

"You do?"

Harry smirked. He pulled out of his jacket his falcon mask. "Hi. I'm Raptor."

Ken's eyes widened. "You're the Raptor?"

"Yep. Sorry I had to conceal my identity. Touka was the one who told me about you being with Rize, but because she was with a friend, she couldn't help you, so I hurried over. I'm sorry I couldn't make it in time, Ken. I did what I could. I used what healing magic I knew to keep you stable long enough for the paramedics to arrive."

"…So why 'Raptor'?" Ken asked.

"Well, falcons and hawks belong to the birds of prey known as raptors, and I'm able to use a type of magic to turn myself into a falcon, though I like to think of myself as more of a hawk set against the Doves. Also, the word 'raptor' comes from the Latin word _rapere_ , meaning to seize, take by force, abduct or steal. It's where you get English words like rape, rapture, rapacious, ravenous and so on. The reason why that's appropriate is that I steal Quinques from the Doves."

"Harry takes a rather dim view of the macabre practise of creating Quinques from _kagunes_ ," Yoshimura said. "He feels that he honours the more innocent Ghouls they were taken from by using them, usually against other Ghouls, but occasionally against Doves."

"Mum and my sister will be in later today, so you can meet them. Hinami's pretty shy, though," Harry said. "Just…treat her like a normal girl, Ken, like she's your little sister."

"Got it…"

* * *

It began raining, and after a while, there weren't any customers. However, as Touka, Ken and Harry bustled around the shop, cleaning things, the door opened, admitting Ryoko and Hinami. Harry immediately cast Drying and Warming Charms. "Mum! Hinami! Are you two all right?"

Ryoko nodded, Hinami huddling close to her shyly. "Have you told Mr Yoshimura…?"

"Yes. He's upstairs. He knows about Jason. Go ahead."

"Right. I'll bring Hinami with me. Jason barging into the clinic while we were there shook us up," Ryoko said, bringing her daughter with her.

"That's your mother and little sister?" Ken asked.

"Yeah. They'll probably be hanging around here for a while," Harry said. "I'll introduce you two when we've got a moment. Just don't get offended if Hinami doesn't want to talk to you. She's still a little skittish around strangers. I did tell them about you, though, and she was curious. So's Mum."

Ken nodded, before looking at Touka. "Let me guess, Hinami looks up to you as 'Big Sis Touka'?"

"Yeah. Hinami…reminds me of how I used to be, before the Doves wrecked our family," Touka said. "My mother was murdered by them. My father disappeared, and while I hope that he's still alive, chances are those Doves have turned him into a goddamned Quinque. And he was very like Yoshimura, scavenging corpses to provide meat for us. And my brother Arata…he ran away. I don't know where…but I hear rumours. He felt that I'd die if I interacted with more humans. He certainly thought Harry would betray me, after we got betrayed by another human looking after us."

"Touka was forced to use her _kagune_ for the first time to kill Doves sent to capture her and Ayato, her brother," Harry said grimly. "Can you imagine being forced to kill a man before you're even in your teens? Ghoul or not, that shit's traumatic."

"I'm sorry," Ken said. "I had no idea…"

"That's right. You _don't_. Few humans would. They don't care enough to. Harry, Hermione, Lupin, they're exceptions rather than the rule," Touka said grimly. "They don't care that some Ghouls just want to live as normal a life as they can. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of monsters amongst Ghouls, too many…but you also have ones like the Fueguchis." She looked at the door leading to the stairs to the backrooms of Anteiku. "And we'd do anything to protect them. Speaking of which, that friend of yours, Hide…you'd better be careful he doesn't discover we're Ghouls. At best, Harry can modify his memory…but at worst, I will be forced to silence him more permanently. He's more perceptive than his loudmouthed antics suggest."

"I don't want you to kill him!" Ken protested.

"Then hope I'm there to Obliviate him," Harry said.

* * *

He'd spent some time with Ryoko and Hinami, reassuring the latter, telling her heartwarming platitudes that they both knew to be lies. About how they'd be okay, how their father would be alive and well. And with the former, they commiserated, knowing that Dr Fueguchi's days were probably numbered. If Jason didn't get him, then the Doves might. It was a sobering thought, knowing that one's father, adoptive or not, was in danger of dying.

Thankfully, the next day, a Saturday, meant that Harry could take Ken to HySy Masks, to get his mask from Uta. Harry Apparated with Ken to just in front of the store, and Ken swayed on his feet. "What the hell was that?" Ken moaned.

"Apparition. Basically wizarding teleportation. Very uncomfortable."

"Yeah, I'll never be cruel to toothpaste ever again," Ken said. "I now know what it feels like to be squeezed through a tube."

"Be thankful I used it. There's unlikely to be people to see us use it, and you don't want to see the surrounding neighbourhood," Harry said, before opening up the door to the mask shop. Dummies with a variety of masks, many macabre, abounded in the shop. "Oi, Uta! Fresh meat! Oops, bad choice of words!"

Harry had a feeling that Uta was actually in hiding, hoping to pull a prank on one or both of them. And soon, he noticed Ken lifting a sheet over one dummy…to reveal Uta perched on a stand, staring at him with what looked like a permanent _kakugan_ , but which Harry knew (and regretted knowing) was actually from scleral tattooing. "Boo," Uta said softly, provoking a screech of fright from Ken.

"Oi, Uta, don't scare the poor kid, he's skittish enough already," Harry said.

"And deprive me of one of life's little pleasures?" Uta asked as he stepped off the stand. Despite his eyes, and his rather punkish appearance, complete with hairstyle, piercings and tattoos, he was rather soft-spoken. "So, who's this?"

"Ken Kaneki. He's become a half-Ghoul thanks to some wannabe Frankenstein of a doctor and Rize's organs," Harry said grimly. "We're helping him acclimate to his new life, but thanks to Rize and Jason, Doves are beginning to sniff around the 20th Ward. Hence the need for a mask."

"I see." Uta gently led Kaneki to a seat. "Actually, Yomo's already told me about him."

Harry idly poked around the mask shop, half-listening to Uta asking Ken his usual questions. While Harry was a bit more specific about what he wanted in his mask, it was usual for Uta to just ask a number of fairly personal questions, before allowing his inspiration to take over. Uta reminded him a little, in demeanour, of Mistress Hisau, his wandmaker, and that Ollivander man Harry had met during the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He looked back just as Uta offered an eyeball to Ken. "Uta, he's very uncomfortable with what he has to do, he doesn't need you trolling him."

Uta sighed quietly. "I'm just trying to be nice."

"He ate not long ago, and besides, I don't think most people enjoy eating eyeballs, even if they're animal ones."

"I'm not most people," Uta remarked. "Besides, unlike the Gourmet, I at least only eat eyes from people who are dead."

Harry nodded, thinking of Shu Tsukiyama's eating habits, and returned to his browsing, listening to Uta wax lyrical to Ken with half an ear. Eventually, Uta said, "Well, I'm done. I think I've got some really good inspiration for Mr Kaneki here."

Harry looked at the sketches Uta had made. "Looks like the mutant offspring of Frankenstein's monster and a BDSM mask. Gotta admit, it looks intimidating. Thanks, Uta. I know you don't like rush jobs, but with everything that's going on…"

"Yeah, I understand. Give my regards to Touka, okay? She's a hard worker."

"Sure…"

* * *

"What does he mean, Touka's a hard worker?" Ken asked as they walked out. "I mean, I know she works hard at Anteiku, but…I got the feeling he meant something different."

"You're right. What he means is that Touka goes to a lot of trouble to appear human, more than many other Ghouls. She actually goes to school, makes an effort to seem normal by eating food…it's a delicate balancing act. Like walking a tightrope, really. I've known her for years now, and it took us quite a while to become friends…and to admit it to each other. My becoming her boyfriend was really the culmination of all that effort. She's a bit prickly, to say the least, and can be cold, but she's a good person. Part of the reason I formulated the Palatability Potion was for her sake, though my family inspired me in the first place. In fact, I completed my prototype potion in time for her 16th birthday. And while it needed some improvement, she wept tears of joy eating chocolate cake for the first time. She once told me it was like someone deaf but suddenly being able to hear, or blind, and then being able to see again. In fact, she told me it was the best birthday present anyone had ever given her."

"Wow…it's weird how I take things for granted, like, well, the taste of normal food. Until it's gone, anyway." Ken shook his head. "Is it true what he said, though? About the 20th Ward being the quietest?"

"Well, yeah. Most Ghouls there don't kill any more than they have to, even those not under Anteiku's aegis. That's why Rize's appearance there had us all concerned, as she didn't care what sort of trouble she stirred up, or the Doves coming in to get her, and probably getting some of us in the process. And with Aogiri Tree interested in her too…not to mention we've got the likes of Tsukiyama to worry about. Oh, that's right. If you ever encounter a blue-haired pretty boy called Shu Tsukiyama…try not to let him get inside your head."

"Why's that?"

"Tsukiyama may look handsome, but he's every bit as cruel and sadistic as Rize. He's basically Hannibal Lecter as a _bishounen_ , all smiles and charm, but he's an epicure who's always looking for new thrills to his palate, and he doesn't care how he goes about getting them. A half-Ghoul like you would be right up his alley. Don't get me wrong, he's a good conversational partner, and if you meet him only at Anteiku, it should be fine. His family are old money Ghouls, with corporate holdings that used to be a _zaibatsu_ back before the Second World War. But…if he ever invites you to a place in the 7th Ward, a Ghoul Restaurant…refuse. Politely or impolitely if need be, but _refuse_."

"Why?"

"A Ghoul Restaurant…is a very exclusive establishment, open only to Ghouls with big wallets. And it's not just dinner they go for. On occasion, they have what's called a 'Dismantling Show', where some of the patrons bring in some humans of interest to feed on, usually tricking them into believing they will be having a meal at an exclusive restaurant…instead of being what's for dinner. They drug the patrons and send a trained dismantler, a human, to kill and take them apart. It's basically a vicious cabaret, Grand Guignol."

Ken blanched in understandable horror and disgust. "How do you know this?"

"A friend of Uta's and Yomo's showed me a video she took of one of those gatherings once. Incidentally, if you ever meet a redhead called Itori, runs the Helter Skelter bar, and she ever asks you whether you want to see her video collection, refuse politely. Anyway, we'd better get going…"

* * *

A swift Apparition later, and they were back at Anteiku's backdoor. But as Harry entered, he knew something was wrong very swiftly. He didn't quite realise what that was until he heard his mother and his sister sobbing in a nearby room. He dashed through, and found them embracing, with a sorrowful-looking Yoshimura present. "What happened?" Harry asked.

Yoshimura cleared his throat gently. "…I'm sorry, Harry. I'm so sorry. But…your father was found by the Doves. Yomo saw Kureo Mado and Koutaro Amon kill him shortly after he fought with Jason. He's dead, Harry…"

 **CHAPTER 5 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Oh dear. That just happened.**

 **I'm going to take a break before I post the next chapters.**

 **Review-answering time!** **Guest** **: I'm really ignoring the ghoul from the Weasley attic. BTW, to answer your question in your review in the Cauldron for** ** _Owls of Athena_** **, comparing Juuzou Suzuya to Hansel and Gretel from** ** _Black Lagoon_** **isn't actually that bad a comparison, given that he went through pretty horrific shit (being forced to kill people for the amusement of Ghouls, getting…well, let's just say the Ghoul he was the slave of wanted him to look androgynous, etc).**

 **The pop-culture thing is something I added to the character to distinguish him a little from his canon counterpart, who is into self-stitching as a form of body-modification. I decided he was too young for that at the age he is in** ** _Owls of Athena_** **, but he will get them when he is older, and he's still got elements of sadomasochism in him. Incidentally, if you want to see just how crazy-awesome he is, punch in 'Tokyo Ghoul Motorbike Scene' into Youtube's search engine. Top of the results should be an official AnimeLab clip. It is awesome and hilarious in equal measure.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	7. Chapter 6: Doves Versus A Raptor

**CHAPTER 6:**

 **DOVES VERSUS A RAPTOR**

It was all Harry could do not to go charging off and avenge his father. After all, he knew all too well that doing so could bring unwanted heat on the other Ghouls, especially if he killed a Dove. But neither could he let this go unabated. His father deserved a better fate than being dissected and his _kagune_ turned into a Quinque wielded by that deranged madman Mado, whose obsession with Quinques was legendary even outside the CCG. Touka was of a similar mindset, sorely tempted to go after the CCG, but knowing the consequences if she did.

Remus, however, had a potential solution. He was willing to offer his home to the Fueguchis as a safe haven, using the Fidelius if need be. It was certainly something to consider if the Doves didn't fuck off soon.

In any case, Touka also had exams to revise for, and so, Harry and Ken were to accompany Yomo on a food run. Harry felt a little ambivalent about the quiet Ghoul with the small beard on his chin, who used to run with Uta and Itori for a time. Still, Yoshimura trusted him.

Yoshimura had also told Harry that he had found out that someone was seen at the top of the building where the steel girders fell on Rize. It was perfectly possible that someone wanted Rize dead. Yoshimura was keeping it from Ken for now, given everything he had gone through already, but Harry could tell Ken if he felt the skittish young man was ready.

So, on the drive over to the suicide spot they were going to check tonight, Harry told Ken, who frowned. "Who'd want to kill her? I mean, aside from Doves? And they'd use Quinques, wouldn't they?"

"True, but Rize made a lot of enemies amongst Ghouls too," Harry said, frowning. "I didn't see anything that night, but I was concentrating more on saving you and stopping Rize. It could have been Aogiri Tree, true…but they're the sort to recruit someone like Rize, not kill her. No, someone else did. Saving your life was incidental. Something about this stinks. Oi, Yomo, do you think Itori might have something?"

"Maybe, but I don't think you'd like the price she'd ask for, Harry," the stoic Ghoul said. "Same goes to you, Kaneki. You're probably right, though. This isn't the Tree's style, let alone the Doves'."

"And there's also Kanou to worry about," Harry said grimly. "Not to mention the Doves killing my father, thanks to that fuck Jason. I'd hope that they are satisfied with killing my father, as galling as that is to hope, but they're persistent bastards, especially Mado. If they go after my mother and sister, though, all bets are off."

"You'll kill them?' Yomo asked curiously.

"I don't have to kill them to deal with them," Harry said. "I'll be damned before more people I care about get killed and turned into the CCG's little trophies…"

* * *

Harry helped Ken through his first time at the suicide spot. For once, they were in luck, with a pair of bodies present, bodies Yomo cleaned up and put into bags with Harry's help, for Yomo and Yoshimura to butcher later. Ken couldn't do much but sit on the sidelines, though he did help carry the bags back to the car.

The next day, Ken was asked by Koma to go get some coffee bags from storage. However, Harry heard a yelp of fear and surprise from upstairs, and winced. He knew Hinami had been getting hungry, and so, he guessed that Ken had stumbled across Hinami eating. As Ken finally came back downstairs, bags of coffee with him, Harry looked at him. "…Did you walk in on Hinami eating?"

Ken nodded mutely. "I didn't mean to, I…never mind."

Harry sighed quietly. "Hinami's still rather sensitive about being seen eating human flesh, Ken. Here, come on. Do you need us for now, Koma?"

"No, go right ahead. Here," Koma said, handing Ken a cup of coffee. "A peace offering for her."

The pair of them headed upstairs, and knocked on the door. "Hinami? It's your big brother and Ken. You finished in there?"

"…Yes," they heard softly.

Harry and Ken walked in. The tray had been put elsewhere, with Hinami, with a look of nervousness, reading a copy of _Monochrome Rainbow_. "Sorry about earlier," Ken said quietly. "I guess I wasn't expecting to see you eat. And your _kakugan_ startled me. I'm still not used to this, Hinami."

Hinami looked up at Ken, before nodding. "It's all right. They told me what was wrong with you. It must be hard."

Harry sat down next to Hinami, hugging the young Ghoul close. " _Monochrome Rainbow_ , huh?" Ken asked, looking at the book Hinami had been reading. "It's pretty advanced stuff, isn't it? Though a short story collection would be the best way to experience Sen Takatsuki at your age. So, which story is your favourite? _Summer Diary? Resentment?_ "

" _A Winter Shower at Night_ , actually," Hinami said. "Big brother helped me learn the kanji for that. He said it was something called a prototype for _Egg of the Black Goat_."

"That's right," Ken said with a nod. "My personal favourite was her first one, _Dear Kafka_ , though I enjoy all of her works."

"I actually prefer _Resentment_ myself, given that it's a comedy. Not that I don't mind her horror works, but I get enough of that in real life," Harry said. " _Egg of the Black Goat_ feels a bit close to home, though. If I didn't know any better, I'd bet that Takatsuki was a Ghoul, or was adopted by one."

"Really?" Ken asked.

"Well, either that, or she was the daughter of a serial killer," Harry said. "It sounds a bit autobiographical. I mean, I'm probably reading too much into it, but…"

"You may be closer than you think," Yoshimura said, coming in with Ryoko in tow. "Harry, your mother has agreed to go to Mr Lupin, at least until things die down. Mr Lupin has agreed to house them, and he's preparing a Fidelius, to be put into place once you all are home."

"Great. I'll go when my shift finishes," Harry said.

"I'll get an umbrella for them," Yoshimura said. "It looks like rain…"

* * *

Harry was let off early by Yoshimura, who didn't want Harry to remain apart from his family for too long. He soon followed…only to hear a commotion in the distance. He saw what had to be Doves surrounding his mother and sister, and snarled quietly in rage. He ducked into a nearby alley, grateful for the lack of CCTV cameras, and pulled his Raptor costume from his Mokeskin pouch, along with what he'd need. He changed in a hurry, and then got out, firing Stunners at some of the Doves, knocking them out, just as his mother was extruding her massive wing-like _kagune_.

"What the hell was that?" a tall, handsome man with dark hair and intense features asked, whirling to look at Raptor.

"Well, well, well," muttered Kureo Mado, a middle-aged man with lank white hair and mismatched eyes, one wide open, the other squinting, making him look like a stroke victim, or an escaped lunatic. "If it isn't that abominable quisling and thief Raptor…but I wonder, how did you just knock out our comrades?"

" _Wouldn't you like to know?_ " Harry said. He had to be careful, as the CCG was one of the few agencies actually cleared to know about magic. " _You seem to forget something, Kureo Mado. The 20_ _th_ _Ward is mine to police. These two feed off suicide victims. The CCG are not welcome here._ "

"On whose authority?" the young man demanded. "The CCG is a government agency."

" _Yes, state-sanctioned murderers, I know that. Why else would they have a nutcase like Mado working for them? I understand you going after Ghouls who indiscriminately murder, you do good work there…but when you go after those whose only crime was to be cursed with a Ghoul's hunger, then you have crossed the line._ "

Mado sneered. "Under the Ghoul Countermeasures Law Article 12, no individuals determined to be Ghouls will receive any protection under the law. It's not murder, just pest control."

Harry interposed himself between the still-conscious Doves and his family. " _I'll give you one chance. Leave these two alone. Go play whack-a-mole in the 24_ _th_ _Ward. It'd be a more productive use of your time. Or go after Jason. Otherwise_ …" He activated the two Quinques in his hands, one turning into a spear, the other into a bladed gauntlet around his other arm. " _You're gonna have a bad time._ "

Mado's eyes bugged out. "Amatsu and Kajiri?! HOW DARE YOU DEFILE THEM WITH YOUR FILTHY HANDS, THIEF!"

The younger man's response was more measured. "Why are you defending them?"

" _I am justice here in the 20_ _th_ _Ward. You're about to kill a mother and daughter who haven't killed to eat._ " Harry didn't look back at his mother and sister, but he said, " _Run, now! We'll meet at the arranged place!_ "

He could hear their footsteps receding. "…You know," Mado said, his voice and expression (mismatched eyes aside) eerily calm. "I should be far angrier than I am. You have just robbed me of a chance to kill a couple of monsters and create new Quinques from their _kagunes_. But I think I'm so mind-bogglingly angry that I have come full circle into tranqulity. We can find them eventually. But you…well, you're only human, or else you wouldn't be using Quinques." Mado took his Quinque from his briefcase, and Harry stared at it in shock. The spine-like tentacle, like a vicious whip made of bone, writhed and wriggled obscenely. He knew that _kagune_ : it was his **_father's_**. "I'm not going to kill you. Oh no. Leaving aside the fact that death is too good for a quisling who has been a thorn in our sides for far too long, I'm sure the interrogators back at HQ would just love to pick your brains. Hmm, Tokage may be too brutal for him, I want you in pain, not absolutely broken. Hmm, maybe young Suzuya might help? And, of course, I want to know WHERE THE FUCK YOU KEEP MY **_QUINQUES!_** "

"Sir!" the young man snapped. "Don't let him get to you!"

"…Oh, sorry, Amon. I apologise. I usually don't get this upset, I'm just **absolutely livid(** **1)**."

Harry looked at Amon flatly. "… _And he's your partner? Listen, I know it probably sounds meaningless coming from me…but I'm sorry that you have to put up with this pop-eyed freak as a partner._ "

"It _is_ meaningless," Amon said, bringing out his own Quinque, a sort of big, cylindrical club of meat on a pole. "You interfered with our duties. We'll have to bring you in. Come quietly."

" _Yeah,_ _ **no**_ _._ "

As Mado lashed out with his Quinque, Harry transformed Amatsu into its shield form, pumping his magic into it to bolster its defence. He then used Kajiri to parry Amon's blow, not actually blocking it, but redirecting it, sending the club crashing into the road, digging a crater. "… _They'll be taking that out of your paypacket, you know_ ," Harry snarked as he blocked another attack from Mado. " _Incidentally, how much does being a Dove pay?_ "

"Not enough to deal with smartarsed thieves like you," Mado sneered.

" _And to people screaming at you, '_ _ **Kids, run away, it's a child molester!**_ _'_ ," Harry retorted, blocking another wild swing from Mado. " _Put that thing away! What will the neighbours think?_ "

Mado, his eyes even wilder than before, swung again, with Amon managing to blindside Harry. In the instant before Harry was about to get hit…he Apparated. He didn't want to, but if it was a choice between that and getting hit…he fired off a Stunner as he appeared, but Amon spotted it, and pulled Mado down into a crouch. Mado got to his feet quickly, his expression strangely thoughtful despite his rage. "…A Code Hecate…the Raptor is a goddamned Code Hecate!"

"A wizard?" Amon asked. "Mr Mado, we need to withdraw immediately, and contact the DMLE!"

"NO! Not when the Raptor is right in front of me! I will…!" Mado had turned his back to Harry who, having decided that the cat was out of the bag, fired off another Stunner, catching Mado in the back of the head, sending him sprawling.

"What did you do to him?" Amon asked coldly.

" _The same thing that I did to your colleagues. I merely stunned them. I only kill as a last resort, unlike you_ ," Harry said, glaring at Amon from behind his mask. " _Unless it's Ghouls who kill the innocent without recourse or mercy. Now, go to sleep!_ "

Amon dodged the next Stunner, and was on him fast, with Harry forced to block the Quinque he wielded with Amatsu. "Shut up! You collaborate with the Ghouls! You condone them feeding on the innocent as they wish, many children becoming orphaned, their loved ones forced to feel a loneliness that hollows them out…tell me, do you even care? What possible reason could you have to defend them? Monsters like them distort the world out of shape!"

Harry glared, before he sent an _Expelliarmus_ at Amon, sending him flying into a shutter of a nearby storefront. " _You self-righteous bastard_ ," Harry said as he picked up the club-like Quinque and stowed it in the Mokeskin pouch, Amon groaning in pain. " _I understand you calling Ghouls like the Binge Eater or Aogiri Tree monsters…never mind those of the Ghoul Restaurant. If you killed them, I wouldn't shed a tear. Hell, I'd applaud, loudly. But you don't know some Ghouls like I do. Some are as capable of great acts of selflessness and altruism as a normal human being. You know I'm a wizard? Then do you know about the Death Eaters? Wizards who believed the purity of blood trumped all, and anyone not of pure enough blood were subhuman? Or maybe you should think of the Nazis. Because if you condemn all Ghouls for the sins of the worst ones, then you're no better than they are._ " He then fetched the Quinque of his father, and patted it affectionately, before putting it away. " _The man who you stole this_ kagune _from after murdering him…he was a doctor. He killed criminals to support his family, Yakuza, murderers, paedophiles…not innocents. His wife and children, the very people you tried to murder, have never killed to eat in their lives._ "

Amon struggled to his feet, swaying. "…Are you trying to appeal to my sense of justice with your lies?" Amon slurred. "They're not human, any more than a wolf is. Then again…" His face suddenly looked rather pensive, even solemn. "Even a wolf would have more loyalty than a Ghoul. At least you know when they'll turn on you."

" _Just stay down, Amon. I'm not going to kill you. If I was going to kill anyone, it'd be the freak here. But I'm not. Killing a Dove will only ensure that you come in greater force. I am going to leave him with a little going-away present._ " He then cast a curse at Amon, and the man began twitching. " _A little curse that will lock him in a coma, and subject him to his worst nightmares. Too good a fate for him._ "

"Bastard…what are you going to do to me?"

" _Nothing, aside from sending you scurrying away with your tail between your legs_ ," Harry said. " _You're going to send a message, though. Tell your superiors that the 20_ _th_ _Ward is under_ _ **my**_ _protection. I've sent you enough Ghoul's heads of those who cross the line. But come after anyone I care about again…and I will go to fucking_ _ **war**_ _against the CCG. Don't make me come over there._ "

Amon glared at him, before finally shaking his head. "We'll go for now. But mark my words…I will be back…"

" _For your sake…I hope you won't_ …"

 **CHAPTER 6 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Ryoko's still alive. But has Harry bitten off more than he can chew? Or has he managed to instil the seeds of doubt in Amon's mind?**

 **Now, why did Harry not kill the Doves, like a lot of the reviewers wanted? For the same reasons Yoshimura won't condone Touka's revenge mission: escalation. But why didn't he Obliviate Amon or Mado? Well, if he did, they're probably trained enough investigators to be able to notice the gaps in their memory. However, he's taking a risk that the CCG and the local DMLE won't collaborate. The next chapter will show that there is something of a divide between the CCG and the wizards: they may be aware of them, but they're not on the best of terms. What's more, the DMLE are aware of Harry's reputation, and he does have friends amongst them.**

 **Oh, and if it's not already obvious, I absolutely** ** _despise_** **Mado. Hell, I was surprised that, in the live action version, they made him a bit more sympathetic before he started acting like a psycho. That was, admittedly, one of the highlights of a film that, while good, missed the point of** ** _Tokyo Ghoul_** **somewhat.**

 **The next chapter has been written, and will be posted on Halloween if possible. However, after that, I don't know when the next chapters after those will be out. I've read up to the fifth volume of the manga, but am taking a break from the series, having glutted myself on it a bit too much. I'll try to get at least a confrontation with Tsukiyama written before long, but after that, with the whole Aogiri Tree BS, Ken's torture, etc, I'm going to wait until I read more of the series, and figure out how much I should derail it. Keep in mind, though, this will be based more on the manga than the anime, especially** ** _Tokyo Ghoul: √A_** **(incidentally, looking for the root symbol in Word was irritating).**

 **Review-answering time!** **Kaiya Azure** **: Regarding the HF Blade, that's a very interesting question. Also, regarding Harry setting up traps, he's not uber-competent, not utterly. And if he does set up magical traps that cause Jason to be caught, the problem is going to be explaining that to the authorities, especially the CCG.**

 **1\. This was meant to reflect one of Frieza's lines in Episode 25 of** ** _Dragonball Z Abridged_** **.**


	8. Chapter 7: Ken and Hermione

**CHAPTER 7:**

 **KEN AND HERMIONE**

"Grandpa…do you think I did the right thing?"

Yoshimura looked at Harry, frowning, before he said, "A difficult question to answer. Did you do the right thing in saving your mother and sister? Of course. Doing so without killing the Doves? We can but hope. Still, exposing yourself as a wizard will have consequences, and I doubt that the CCG will give up so easily. They probably will escalate…but given that you didn't kill them, I doubt that the escalation will be as bad as it could have been. I think they will withdraw for now, until they can be sure on how to deal with you."

"I'll probably have to warn Hermione. They might start speaking to magicals within the 20th Ward. Actually, I should really introduce Ken to Hermione. She could help ground him a little better than, I think, we have been doing."

Yoshimura nodded. It was the day after Harry's clash with the Doves. His mother and Hinami were currently in hiding in Remus' house, under the Fidelius. Not for the first time, Harry was cursing his lack of experience with the Portkey charm. The last time he had tried making one, he'd ended up embedding a pigeon he used as a guinea pig into the wall at Anteiku (much to Touka's amusement, given how much of an ornithophobe she was). Otherwise, he could've gotten them out of their sooner. Apparating with them could have been risky with two Doves ready to use Quinques, let alone trying to avoid revealing that he was a wizard.

His train of thought was interrupted when Koma came in, followed by a man in a rather well-worn suit, handsome, but with a slight bit of stubble and messy hair, a vaguely haggard and tired look to him. "Umm, Mr Yoshimura? Auror Emiya(1) is here from the DMLE for Harry."

Yoshimura nodded. "Thank you, Koma, you may go." As the square-faced Ghoul left, Yoshimura looked at the Auror. "Mr Emiya…I'd say it is a pleasure to see you, but something tells me that won't be the case."

"Yes and no," the Auror, a man in his early thirties, said. Kiritsugu Emiya, a Pureblood Japanese who nonetheless dressed and acted like a Muggle, even using technology most wizards wouldn't be seen dead using, was an unofficial liaison with Anteiku. He even knew that Harry was Raptor, after an unfortunate encounter. "I'm sure you know why I'm here. Your actions in saving your family have caused quite a stir. The CCG are demanding that we track you down and bring you into their custody. At the moment, we've been able to stall them. After all, the Raptor is very good at policing the 20th Ward and removing the more problematic Ghouls. And given the fact that the CCG refuses to share their resources with us, but have the temerity to demand that we share ours, rubs my boss the wrong way. Still, Raptor turning out to be a wizard has made waves, and there's a few in the DMLE that want to hand you over to the CCG. Not to mention the problems we have with the British Blood Purist faction looking to make their move."

"Any news on that?" Harry asked.

"Word is that Umbridge and a supposedly 'hand-picked' group of Aurors will be here within the week," Emiya said. "This obviously isn't in the papers, just whispers through our contacts in the ICW. Dumbledore's been stalling them, but they've managed to bypass him using some loopholes. And in creating the Palatability Potion, you've made your sympathies towards Ghouls quite clear, even though most people are unaware of your identity as Raptor. Some Purebloods will be more than happy to throw you under the bus."

"Despite the fact that I killed Voldemort?"

"Especially that. Voldemort was a Blood Purist, and there are many Purebloods here who admired him. Plus, they're probably nervous enough to think that you might send them to join him, especially given all the lines you ended," Emiya said.

"Haven't you done the same thing?" Yoshimura asked. "You're rather infamous as an assassin of wizards who go rogue, Mr Emiya."

"True, but many Purebloods would love to get rid of me. I'm just too useful for them to do so. Anyway, I'll do what I can. If Umbridge manages to make it over, I'll stall her. Incidentally, I've found out something interesting about one of the Doves you dealt with yesterday."

"If it's about that crazy fuck Mado, I don't want to hear about him," Harry said coldly.

"No, no…it's actually about Koutaro Amon. I was the one sent to speak with him last night when CCG began making demands. He was actually surprisingly reasonable for a Dove. Fanatical, but when you hear what he put up with…apparently he was in an orphanage run by Donato Porpora, a Russian-born Ghoul who masqueraded as a Catholic priest. Donato was depraved, though, and often fed off his charges. Unlike Mado, who was driven insane by the murder of his wife at the hands of the One-Eyed Owl, Amon is more concerned with preventing anyone from growing up as he did, as well as suffering the fate of his fellow orphans. Still, your words made something of an impression on him. I could see him questioning himself. Anyway, you'll need to be careful. Someone in the DMLE will leak your connection to the Fueguchis soon, and that will cause trouble…"

* * *

Emiya's words echoed through Harry's mind as he accompanied Ken to university later that day, in the afternoon. Harry had a couple of reasons why: firstly, he needed to warn Hermione of what had happened and what might happen, and secondly, he wanted to introduce Hermione to Ken as a potential ally.

After he explained everything to Hermione in her office (she'd managed to skip a year at Hogwarts, an unprecedented move, and had managed to get into university early), she pinched the bridge of her nose. "…I guess you did the best you could under the circumstances. I appreciate the warning about the heat that might be coming down on us. Are your mother and sister all right?"

"Yeah. Hopefully, until we can find a more permanent solution, they'll be safe at Remus'. Anyway, that's not all I came here for. Hermione, this is Ken Kaneki, the one I told you about."

"Ah, yes. Hello, Ken. I'm sorry about what happened to you. Some people have appallingly bad luck," Hermione said sympathetically. "I know what it's like to be stuck between two worlds, even if I didn't quite have it as badly as you did."

"Why's that?"

Hermione looked at Harry, who held up his hands. "I told him you're a witch, but I never got around to telling him all that. He knows about Voldemort and the Blood Purists, though."

"Okay, well, that saves a bit of time. I'm a Muggleborn witch, Ken. That means my parents both didn't know how to use magic, but I do. However…well, my parents didn't take learning I was a witch well, on top of everything else." Hermione looked morose at that.

"I'm sorry, Hermione, I had no idea…"

"We only knew each other for a year or so, Harry, and that was intermittently," Hermione said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "My parents were somewhat…pushy, and no matter what I did, it never seemed to be enough. And when they learned I was a witch…it's not like they didn't care about me, but I think they liked trotting me out as their trophy to their friends, and they couldn't do that while I was at Hogwarts. Anyway, at Hogwarts, as at a lot of magical schools where Pureblood snobbery reigns, if you're a Muggleborn, many Purebloods look down on you. They're either patronising at best, or at worst…they want you dead. Voldemort wanted to do what was basically ethnic cleansing of Muggleborns, claiming them to have stolen magic from Purebloods."

"That's horrible!" Ken exclaimed.

"Of course. And yet, it happens, and many in power look the other way because to them, Muggles are no better than livestock. At least Ghouls have the excuse of hunger," Hermione said bitterly. "Speaking of which, have you been feeding?"

"…When I need to. I don't like it, but…knowing what the Ghouls at Anteiku do to get their meat is reassuring," Ken said.

"It certainly was for me," Hermione said quietly. "I really needed a reality check to see any Ghoul as anything other than a cannibalistic killing machine, and Harry gave it to me. You're lucky Harry was here to help. Incidentally, Harry, I'd appreciate it if you brought Nishiki some meat from Anteiku."

"Why the hell should I?" Harry asked with a scowl. "He nearly killed Hide, not to mention that he killed Yoshida because he thought Anteiku had no right to dictate where he could hunt."

"Yes, but his girlfriend, Kimi…I think she knows what he is, and she's been hinting to me that he needs help. She didn't tell me what he is, even though I know Nishiki knows, but…"

"All right, fine…but he'd better follow the party line if I do," Harry said with a scowl.

Hermione nodded. "It's more for Kimi's sake. I think she even let him feed on her a little, as her shoulder has been bandaged recently. Anyway, Ken…if you need someone to talk to, I'm always willing. I may not be a Ghoul or raised by them, but I'm willing to talk. And if you get a chance to meet Remus Lupin, do so. He's not a Ghoul, but he knows what they go through."

"Why?" Ken asked.

"It's best if he tells you why himself, if he trusts you enough," Harry said.

* * *

That night, Harry asked for a package from Yoshimura, stating what he needed it for. Yoshimura nodded, and wished Harry the best of luck.

Harry had been given Nishiki's address by Hermione, and soon found his apartment. He was nearly attacked at the door by Kimi, who was raising a taser. "…You're not the narcissist," she said.

"Narcissist?" Harry asked, frowning, before he looked sharply at her. "Blue haired, a bishounen, speaks all cultured? Goes by the name of Shu Tsukiyama?"

She scowled, keeping her taser ready. But then, he heard a rasping voice from inside. "Kimi…that's not him. He's a human…though he knows the Ghouls at Anteiku."

Harry knew that Nishiki had met him without his Raptor mask, though he wasn't sure if Nishiki knew he was Raptor. He was let inside into the rather squalid apartment, to find Nishiki sprawled on the floor, surrounded by drink bottles and boxes. "You look like shit, Nishiki. I'd gloat…but Hermione told me Kimi wanted help for you. So…" He proffered the package.

Nishiki looked at him suspiciously. "And what's the catch?"

"Well, it's been put on my tab, not yours, so this one's free. As long as you don't go after anyone I care about again, we're golden. Here." He tossed Nishiki the package, the brown-haired Ghoul tearing it apart like a rabid beast, and eating the meat within messily. By the end of it, his mouth was covered in blood and scraps of meat.

"Did Tsukiyama do something to you?" Harry asked quietly.

"He's been sniffing around lately," Nishiki said. "While he didn't do anything to me physically, that narcissist taunted me about being beaten up, not to mention stealing my prey. You know how twisted that fuck is, or any of those fucks who attend the Ghoul Restaurant. And I heard on the grapevine about what you did to those Doves. Surprised you didn't kill the fuckers."

"I was tempted, given what they did to my father," Harry said, grimacing at the thought that Nishiki DID know he was Raptor. "But if I killed them, that'd provoke an escalation none of us need. Do you trust this girl?"

"…With my life. She offered herself to me. I took a bite from her shoulder," Nishiki said.

Kimi nodded. "…You're a human who lives with Ghouls, right? You know the penalties for being an associate with them. And…well, as long as Nishiki doesn't go after those I hold dear, I won't report him. It's only a quirk of biology that he's forced to live such a life, isn't it? If I was a Ghoul, I would have to do the same thing."

"Maybe. But there's ways to get human meat other than murder," Harry said. He looked at Nishiki. "Now, stay good, and hopefully, we can be good. Was that enough to help your healing?"

"I think so. Early days yet," Nishiki grunted. "Watch yourself, Fueguchi. You know how much of a fucking epicure Tsukiyama is. If he sees that one-eyed wimp, with that mixed smell, he might think him a new delicacy."

"I've warned Ken about him. Hopefully he'll heed that warning…"

 **CHAPTER 7 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, there you have it, in time for Halloween. Ken meeting Hermione, the fallout from the last chapter, and Nishiki being shown some mercy. Hmm, what we need is a story where his sister survives…**

 **Anyway, this will be the last chapter for a while. Sorry guys. I warned you about this in the previous chapter, though. Hopefully, before long, I can do a Tsukiyama-centric chapter.**

 **Review-answering time! For those of you wanting to see Mado dead…don't worry, I have rough plans in mind for that crazy fuck's demise. Let's just say he'll be stupid enough to ally himself with Umbridge.**

 **kyugan** **: While I do agree, his portrayal in the live action movie was one of the highlights, in that he was initially portrayed as a seemingly harmless eccentric, albeit one who doesn't consider Ghouls human. It wasn't until the scene where he attacks Ryoko where his true colours show.**

 **Kaiya Azure** **: I think it's stated that Hinami has a particularly strong sense of smell, even by Ghoul standards. So your theory, while interesting, doesn't really hold water. Sorry.**

 **1\. As is frequently the case with some stories where I need a Japanese OC mage in a hurry, I use characters from the Nasuverse. Obviously, this character is based on Kiritsugu Emiya from** ** _Fate/Zero_** **.**


	9. Chapter 8: Dark Murmurings at the Helter

**CHAPTER 8:**

 **DARK MURMURINGS AT THE HELTER SKELTER BAR**

It was not long after that saga that Uta delivered Ken's mask, late one evening. Harry and Touka were going to train Ken up, just in case, helped by Yomo. Harry had toned down the exercise routine Touka demanded Ken go through. While he argued with his girlfriend, Uta came in.

The punkish-looking Ghoul had a package. "Well…that's good timing," he said. "I was just going to drop this off here at Anteiku, but as you're here, Ken, I'd like to see how it looks on you."

As Ken opened it up gingerly, Uta looked at Harry and Touka. "I heard about the mess with your family, Harry. Is your mother and Hinami okay?"

"Yeah, but they're in hiding," Harry said. "Once the heat dies down, we can bring them out safely. Between Aogiri Tree and the CCG, the 20th Ward is becoming more hostile to peaceful Ghouls. Plus, the Doves know I'm a wizard now, and I might have to be prepared to make a quick getaway if they start making a connection between me and my family. By the way, I heard through Yomo that Rize's little accident may not have been an accident. You know anything about that?"

"Rumours, mostly," Uta said. "Itori's more likely to know something, though. Don't think she'll cough up anything without a hefty fee, though. Oh, and Ken? You put it on like this."

He helped Ken don the leather mask, which had a vaguely BDSM vibe to it, with an eyepatch covering Ken's right eye rather than his left, a pair of air intake valves made to look like massive bolts, and a grotesque leer concealing a zipper, which could be opened if Ken needed to feed. "Okay, I'll admit, Uta, that's scary as fuck," Harry said.

"Yeah. Makes him look actually scary," Touka said, folding her arms and giving a sardonic smirk. "It's got a real Frankenstein vibe to it, actually."

"But why is the eyepatch on the other eye?" Ken asked, his voice slightly muffled.

"Because I wanted to see the eye you concealed," Uta said softly. "And besides, a _kakugan_ appearing along with this mask? I'm sure people would soil themselves."

Harry rolled his eyes at Uta's macabre observation. Ken was getting this mask to protect his identity if he went to hunt or fight, not to scare the shit out of people. Harry donned his own mask, despite not being a Ghoul, to protect his own identity, especially as he did occasionally engage in breaches of the Statute of Secrecy. The local DMLE knew it was him, but as long as he didn't do anything extreme, they looked the other way. Indeed, Emiya was hoping to bring in Harry as an official liaison between the DMLE and the Ghouls.

Still, that reminded him. He intended to go out on patrol later tonight. Hopefully, there wouldn't be any trouble…

* * *

Thankfully, the universe hadn't noticed his little dare. Still, he found himself embroiled in another encounter that left him disquieted. The next night, Yomo brought Ken and Harry to the Helter Skelter bar. Apparently Itori had caught wind of Ken through Uta, and had wanted to meet him.

Harry had to admit, the redhaired woman was quite sexy and vivacious. If he wasn't dating Touka, he'd consider Itori…except, there was something about the bubbly woman that seemed… _off_. There was an air of mild derangement to say the least, and not because she was an energetic and enthusiastic young woman. The fact that she had a whole bunch of videos taken during dinner parties at Ghoul Restaurants was dubious enough. Harry had actually seen one of the Scrappers in one of those videos at a local high school once, an effeminate albino by the name of Juuzou Suzuya. Presumably the CCG had rescued him.

Harry shot Itori a glare when she thought it funny to scare poor Ken with an ugly mask of a hag. "Itori, Ken's been through a lot, he doesn't need you to test his bladder control."

"Lighten up, Harry," Itori chirped as she removed her mask. "That's what you come to a bar for, anyway. Then again, you're so serious, I wouldn't be surprised if you don't drink."

She led them into the Helter Skelter bar, with Harry scowling. "Even so, Ken is new to our world. He's got Rize's organs in him, and he's still adapting to eating human flesh. He doesn't need people scaring him so damned often."

"He needs toughening up," Itori remarked, peering at Ken.

"Yomo's doing that, with Touka."

As they sat down at the bar, Itori chuckled. "Yes, I've heard about Kenny here from Ren and Uta."

"Ren?" Ken asked.

"Renji Yomo is his full name," Harry explained. "These three have known each other from the 4th Ward."

"Yeah, these two were at each other's throats back then," Itori said carelessly. "It's a shithole now, but it was even worse back then because these two were fighting, with no heed to the problems they left behind."

"We're friends now, though," Uta said softly. "He used to be like Touka is now back in the day…"

"Enough," Yomo said quietly. "Anyway, weren't you going to talk to him about something?"

"Oh, right," Itori said, getting up and pouring a red substance from a bottle into a glass, a blood solution that Ghouls could drink like alcohol. "So, Uta and Yomo have been telling me you're a One Eyed Ghoul, right? Because some idiot doctor put Rize's organs into you? That's messed up. Then again, there's another like you elsewhere in Tokyo, so the rumours go."

"Another one?" Ken asked.

"Yeah, only this one's a natural hybrid. Do you know what happens when a normal human and a Ghoul crossbreed?"

"Umm, Harry and Mr Yoshimura told me. It's rare for the embryo to survive normally. If the mother is a human, the developing child can't get the necessary nutrients and starves. If the mother is a Ghoul, chances are that the child gets absorbed because it is confused for nutrients."

"Bingo!" Itori said, grinning. "It's basically heterosis, like ligers. You know, lions and tigers interbred. Only, because technically humans and Ghouls are the same species, you get the better qualities of both parents. Some say a hybrid can actually eat normal food, though they still retain the hunger for human flesh. And their _kakugan_ only manifests in a single eye. Of course, whether it's true or not is still uncertain, and descriptions of the One-Eyed Ghoul, sometimes known as the One-Eyed Owl, are said to vary between a young girl, a young woman, and an older man."

"I'd suggest not seeking them out, though," Uta said softly. "The One-Eyed Owl is rumoured to eat their own kind as well as humans."

"It's not that well known amongst younger Ghouls either," Itori said. "Anyway, you're more of the topic of rumours these days, especially given that your emergence coincides with Rize getting pancaked by metal girders. Yomo told me that you've heard about it maybe not being an accident?"

Ken nodded. "Yomo and Harry told me you're an information broker, right?"

"Uh-huh," Itori said. "Now, normally, I'd have you do me a favour, like, say, find out how to be a member of the exclusive Ghoul Restaurant in the 7th Ward, but I don't think Harry'd appreciate that. That being said, Harry actually has quite a bit of credit with me, what with his little potion helping me discover what eating normal food is like, so I'll tell you what. I'll give you a few bits of information gratis, as long as Harry doesn't mind his credit being depleted."

Harry nodded. "I don't. I'd like to know this too."

Itori smiled, not that she didn't almost always smile, but this one was broader. "Great! Well, a key to the mystery is Rize Kamishiro herself. Now, here's the thing: Ghouls have to change names, particularly those who aren't registered with the authorities. Birth certificates and so on, you know what I mean. Many change the kanji of their names, but not the actual hiragana syllables, so it sounds the same. It's a standard trick, but if you know what to look for, there's a decent paper trail. The CCG haven't caught onto it yet, thank God. But Rize doesn't have really any paper trail to speak of. Rize Kamishiro seemed to drop right out of the sky. If she had a different name before then, then she must've had a really good reason to change it. She also made one hell of a splash in the 11th Ward, doing her Binge Eater schtick and bringing the Doves down on the resident Ghouls…though when the Ghouls in charge there confronted her, they got sliced and diced instead. This was shortly before she came down to the 20th Ward."

"So, Rize was a ghost, in terms of identity papers and all that," Harry mused.

"And that's unusual, even given the data control a lot of us have to do," Itori said. "Now, I don't know about you, but that smells fishy. So, where did she come from? And was she targeted because she was running from something?"

"Do you know the answers, or not?" Harry asked.

"Sorry, but no. But they're the right questions to ask, aren't they?" Itori remarked.

"What about Aogiri Tree? Why their interest in Rize?" Harry asked.

The redhaired Ghoul shrugged. "I think that's blindingly obvious. Aogiri Tree wants any powerful Ghouls who lack morals or restraint in their organisation. Rize, however, was presumably too wilful to listen to their spiel. That being said, I'm sorry for what happened to your father. Yamori brought the CCG down on him."

"It was Jason who brought the Doves down on Dad," Harry said with a snarl, annoyed at how Itori seemed set on giving weird pet names to all and sundry. 'Yamori' was Japanese for 'gecko'.

"Jason is just one of his nicknames, due to that stupid little mask he wore. Yamori's more like an alias. His real name is Yakumo Omori. Rumour has it that he loves torture, partly thanks to the CCG capturing him and torturing him in the Ghoul prison Cochlea."

"Wait, they imprison Ghouls?" Ken asked. "I thought they killed them."

Harry turned to Ken. "Not all the time. Some they capture for interrogation. Cochlea is the name they give the anti-Ghoul prison. It's even rumoured that they undertake experimentation on Ghouls. After all, Ghouls technically have no legal status as human beings, thanks to laws like the Ghoul Countermeasures Law Article 12, so they're not covered by the treaties against human experimentation. I'm sure the stuff that goes on in there would be like what Mengele and his ilk did in Auschwitz, or what Unit 731 did in China for the Japanese. Some Ghouls deserve that, but others, well…" He shrugged. "And, of course, even in the field, they try to kill Ghouls when they've extruded their _kagune_ , so that they can modify them into Quinques."

"Yeah, I heard what you did to that freak Mado," Itori said. "He had it coming for a long time. Word on the grapevine is that his daughter's not happy. She's as ruthless as her father, but apparently nowhere near as deranged."

"I know of Akira, and I pity her for having a father like that," Harry said. "Ditto that Amon guy. Poor bastard was raised by Donato Porpora, according to Emiya. Ruthless I can understand in a Dove, given their profession and the real monsters they have to fight. But Kureo Mado was a freak of the highest order. And I don't use that term lightly. It's what the Dursleys called me, after all. Akira and Amon's only true crimes are those of ignorance, I reckon. Kureo, though…"

"Actually, I heard a rumour about why he's so obsessed with killing Ghouls. His wife, supposedly, was murdered by the One-Eyed Owl some years back," Itori said.

" _To the last I grapple with thee, from hell's heart I stab at thee, for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee_ ," Ken murmured.

" _Moby Dick_ ," Uta said. "And yes, Kureo Mado does seem rather like Ahab, chasing the whale, heeding little at the cost to himself and others."

"It was one of the novels my father left behind, and one of the few English ones," Ken said, looking rather mournful at the reminder of a father Harry knew that Ken had no memory of. Harry also remembered that, after his mother worked herself to death, many of those books were discarded by Ken's bitch of an aunt. "There was also a book by Franz Kafka, a couple of works by Stephen King, and _Dune_ by Frank Herbert. The others were mostly Japanese works."

"Ken's a bibliophile," Harry said. "His favourite author is Sen Takatsuki these days."

"That green-haired ditz?" Itori said with a chuckle. "I've been to a few of her signings. She's been late to a couple of them. Still, she must have a pretty twisted mind to write some of the shit she does. Oh, before I go, Harry…you've pretty much used up your credit with me, but if you're willing to shell out, I've got some information for you and Tohka."

"How much?" She quoted a figure, and Harry nodded. That was more than affordable from his Gringotts accounts. So he took out a Gringotts chequebook, wrote it out, and handed it over. "The Goblins and oni should know you by now at the local alley."

"To their chagrin," Itori said with a smirk. "Cheques are pretty old-fashioned in this day and age of EFTPOS, but hey, I know this is good. Okay, well, I've confirmed that Ayato is in Aogiri Tree. In fact, he's an executive, one of their top people. And the thing is, he's only gotten stronger since. I saw him from a distance while he and some Aogiri Tree thugs were attacking another group of Ghouls. Touka had better step up her training if he decides to come calling. And you'd better be ready yourself."

Harry nodded grimly. "I'd better get Ken up to snuff too, just in case. You still willing to help, Yomo?"

The stoic Ghoul said, "Yes."

* * *

The rest of the evening passed away in what passed for small talk amongst the group, until Harry and Yomo decided to take Ken home. However, that meeting left Harry disquieted, though to be fair, there was something disquieting about Itori and Uta in the first place. But he also felt like there was a storm brewing on the horizon.

True, that was partly because he knew that the idiots in Britain were looking for ways to come for him. And that was without going into the debacle involving the CCG and his putting Mado into a coma, to say nothing about Ayato. Or the fact that, according to Itori, Rize Kamishiro was even more of a ghost than most Ghouls were. But he knew that something bad was on its way, and he, Ken, Touka, and indeed everyone at Anteiku and in his family couldn't afford any distractions.

Unfortunately, they got one soon afterwards, in the form of a certain Gourmet…

 **CHAPTER 8 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Sorry about the wait. I originally intended this to be a Tsukiyama-centric chapter, but couldn't get it started. I also tried a chapter where Harry is set upon by Eto, Yamori and Tatara, with Eto revealing Yoshimura's secret and thus breaking Harry's trust in him…but I felt it was too much, too soon, and I'll save that for the Aogiri Tree saga. So, I decided to do a chapter set at the Helter Skelter bar.**

 **Review-answering time! jgkitarel: Too well. Unfortunately, she doesn't get enough of a comeuppance, in my opinion, which is why I try to make her go through a very unpleasant death, or at least experience, in many of my fics. In my** ** _Black Lagoon_** **crossover** ** _Disquiet_** **, she is bisected multiple times with a chainsaw, alive. In my** ** _Neon Genesis Evangelion_** **crossover** ** _Harry Potter and the Blue-Haired Angel_** **, she basically gets mind-raped into a coma by Rei (though given that she was using the Cruciatus on Rei, she deserved it). In my** ** _Hellsing_** **crossover** ** _Haemophilia_** **, she gets eaten by Alucard's familiar Baskerville. In the backstory of my** ** _GATE: Thus the JSDF Fought There_** **crossover** ** _Another Fine Mess_** **, she's ganged up on by Harry, Hermione, and Andromeda Tonks, being put into a coma. And those are merely the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I hope redbayly has a suitable end for her in their rather grotesque and gory revenge fic** ** _The Purge_** **…**

 **Kaiya Azure** **: I'm under the impression that they do, in the form of the alloy known as Quinque steel. Many anti-Ghoul bullets and weapons (like Jason's wrench) were made from them.**

 **Jostanos** **: …For all Mado's faults, he's better than Umbridge by many degrees. He's basically an evil Mad-Eye Moody, and has at least one redeeming feature: his love for his daughter. So while he'd willingly work with Umbridge, she'd get on his nerves for being an obstructive bureaucrat, and I think that if one is going to kill the other, it is Mado killing Umbridge…**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	10. Chapter 9: The Gourmet

**CHAPTER 9:**

 **THE GOURMET**

"Shit…" Touka muttered to herself. "I mean, I knew it was a possibility that he'd be part of Aogiri Tree, but to hear it from Itori…"

Ken was with Harry as they told Touka the next morning, as was Yoshimura. "…How bad can it be? I'm not trying to be dense, Touka. I just want to know literally how bad it can be if Ayato sets his sights on us."

Touka sighed quietly, before fixing Ken with a look. Not quite a glare, but certainly a stern look. "Aogiri Tree tends to accept the most monstrous and violent Ghouls, Ken. If Ayato is part of them, and an executive to boot…it's very bad. He hated me for siding with Yoshimura, as well as being friends with Harry. Being an executive, from what little we know about the organisation, means you're very strong and very brutal. I think we'll need to up our training in case he comes calling."

Harry nodded. "Aogiri Tree's rumoured to have its sights set on the 11th Ward. That's where Rize was before she came here. I heard rumours that Rize butchered most of the Ghoul leadership there after they attacked her. She brought it upon herself, her actions in the 11th Ward got too much attention from the Doves, but she was also too strong for them."

"Exactly, and you hear rumours of Ghouls cannibals in Aogiri Tree," Touka said. "There's an urban legend that a Ghoul who eats the flesh of another Ghoul gets stronger. But Ghoul flesh tastes disgusting to other Ghouls. Not so much that we puke it back out like human food, but still…one thing's for sure. Given how Ghoul abilities work, it's plausible. You'd get more RC Cells from a Ghoul. But even so, you'd have heard more about it by now."

"Actually," Yoshimura said, "that's one urban myth that is true. Ghouls who eat their own kind can develop a secondary stage to their _kagune_ , known as a _kakuja_. Think of it as a form of living armour. Of course, I don't think that is something one should aspire to. Touka…Ayato may be a member of Aogiri Tree, but ruthlessness does not necessarily beget power. Plato once said that the measure of a man is what they do with power, not how much they have. Harry, for example, is debatably the most powerful person in this room. His magic allows him to do things Ghouls or indeed mundane humans have no counter for. And he uses his power to help people. Without him, his family would have been depleted even further. If you must gain power, do it in your own way, in a manner your father, or just yourself, would be proud of."

"…When he left, he said I would die, just like our parents," Touka said.

"And you're still alive and well, Touka. Indeed, you have thrived, and I have no doubt your father would be proud of you. Ghouls frequently live all-too-brief lives, as you have seen. I am lucky, or perhaps unlucky, given the cost with which I have bought my dotage. There are people out there who could take down many Ghouls. Pray, for example, you never meet the CCG's Reaper, Kishou Arima."

Touka winced, as did Harry. Ken held up his hand. "Sorry, who?"

"Kishou Arima. He's the top Dove in the whole of the CCG, a prodigy," Harry said. "I've seen him once during my infiltrations of the CCG. He looks rather mundane, his white hair notwithstanding, like some businessman. But he's also infamous for killing many of the worst Ghouls in Tokyo. If you see someone who looks like some businessman with glasses and a flat look on his face, run. He's the CCG's trump card…"

* * *

It was later in the day that they got an unwelcome visitor. A blue-haired, handsome, even effete young man dressed stylishly waltzed in. Shu Tsukiyama. The Gourmet, and a sadistic Ghoul only barely tolerated by those of Anteiku.

Tsukiyama's greetings, while courteous and extravagant, rubbed Harry and Touka the wrong way, so Harry didn't really pay much attention to Tsukiyama beyond giving a token reply to his greeting until he got rather close to Ken Kaneki, even sniffing him, much to the younger man's consternation. "Oi, Tsukiyama, don't invade the poor sod's personal space like that. He doesn't swing that way. Plus, he's only just entered our world."

"Hmm? And what do you mean by that, my dear Harry?"

Harry cringed at the term of endearment, before he said, "He got turned into a part-Ghoul thanks to some bastard of a doctor. Rize's organs are inside him."

"Oh? And where is Rize?"

"Hopefully, rotting in Hell after being pancaked by a number of steel girders," Touka snarked. "That bitch of a Binge Eater nearly killed Ken. He doesn't need Hannibal Lecter's Ghoul twin sniffing at him."

" _Quel dommage!_ Such harsh words, even if I personally find them a compliment. Well, if you feel so strongly about my remaining here, I will withdraw once I have had some coffee. But first, I wished to purchase another one of those potions of yours, Harry. That first one you sold me led to a revelation to the taste buds! If there was ever a culinary equivalent of an epiphany on the Road to Damascus, then being able to try such delicacies for the first time was that!"

Harry grimaced, partly at the purple prose. He'd only given that vial to Tsukiyama because the Gourmet had pestered him so much after Touka let slip about the Palatability Potion. Tsukiyama had offered to buy a vial at exorbitant prices, so eventually Harry sold it at the price he intended to. This was a couple of weeks before Ken had his date with Rize. "I'm surprised you haven't been back yet."

"Oh, I spun out that potion as much as I could, so that I could try as many dishes as I could. And to tell the truth, given the rancour between us, the animosity, I felt I would wait until I felt the urge to try the best _haute cuisine_ again before I came back."

"…Well, clearly you don't need to eat anything with _ham_ in it," Touka snarked, as she served Tsukiyama a cup of coffee, albeit reluctantly.

Tsukiyama then indicated for Ken to sit opposite him, which the part-Ghoul did reluctantly. Harry watched as they discussed Rize, only for Tsukiyama to go into a paroxysm of anger. Harry thought he knew why: Tsukiyama had mentioned that he had asked Rize to join him at the Ghoul Restaurant, but the infamous Binge Eater had knocked him back, and even dissed the concept of a Ghoul Restaurant to boot. Suddenly, the coffee mug broke in his grasp, and Ken, unthinking and trying to help, cut himself on the shards of the mug. Tsukiyama, in what could have been an altruistic gesture in many others, had mopped up the blood from the wounds with his handkerchief until Ken's wounds healed. He then went to the toilet, supposedly to wash his handkerchief.

Harry took the opportunity to cast a Repair Charm on the mug, and then go and fetch the vial of Palatability Potion. He came back down in time to see Tsukiyama emerging from the toilet, and handed him the vial without a word. Tsukiyama made his goodbyes, and left…

* * *

Harry felt uneasy, as he often did when Tsukiyama came calling. Calling him a _bishounen_ Hannibal Lecter wasn't that far off the mark. So when, about a week later, Nishiki came around, looking battered and beaten, begging for help against Tsukiyama, they knew something had gone badly wrong. Ken had been invited to a dinner for two, so to speak. However, Harry and Touka, who had been woken by the noise, resolved to gatecrash it.

It was Harry who made the suggestion of ensuring the three Ghouls had a meal first before heading to the church where Tsukiyama had taken Kimi. Nishiki was, if not at death's door, then badly weakened, and Ken and Touka could do with a boost. Nishiki and Touka saw the sense in this, and Ken, reluctantly, agreed.

As Harry Apparated them to an alley near the church, he asked Nishiki, "Do you have any idea what _kagune_ he has?"

"A _koukaku_ ," Nishiki hissed. "It's like a blue rapier he grows from his shoulder, but he can shield himself with it."

"While he could shield himself from attacks from my _ukaku kagune_ ," Touka mused, "I've just had enough of a meal that I can take him on. That being said, Ken, a _rinkaku_ tends to be better against a _koukaku_. I need you to distract him long enough for me to blindside him. Harry, deal with him from range. Try to immobilise this epicurean bitch, or else use your spells to ruin his _kagune_. Nishiki…if you think you can help Ken, do so."

Nishiki nodded. "Got it. What about Kimi?"

Touka sighed. "…We'll try to protect her. I hope you can trust her as much as I trust Harry, or otherwise, I would have to kill her." She extruded her _kagune_ , and leapt onto the roof of the church.

Harry led the two Ghouls through the door into the church. On the altar, Kimi was trussed up like a turkey, while at a piano nearby, Tsukiyama played Moonlight Sonata. He looked up. "…Well, well, well…my dear Ken Kaneki, you've brought along some gatecrashers. Dear me, I did not put a 'plus one' on my invitation."

"Why the hell did you target Kimi, you bastard?" Nishiki demanded.

"Nothing truly special. I just happened to spot her while she was shopping, and thought that she would be a divine addition to my meal. That you intervened as a…heh…boyfriend was chivalrous, but misguided. I'm surprised to see you still walking," Tsukiyama said.

"What do you want with her?" Harry snarled.

"Oh, right. I thought she would add just the right touch to the meal I intend to indulge in. Ken Kaneki here has such a divine smell to his flesh. But it needed something more, a final touch. And then, inspiration struck me! You, Ken Kaneki, will feed on this lovely young lady as I feed on you!"

"…You're one sick twisted bastard," Ken said flatly.

"I'm a seeker of truth, actually, an epicure," Tsukiyama said, before he sped over to Ken. "But if you truly feel like that towards me…well, you make me feel like this, so this really is your fault. You are really so delectable."

Harry snapped out a Banishing Charm, sending Tsukiyama flying. "Wow, you sound like those creeps who justify rape because the girl supposedly acted like she wanted sex," Harry snarked, before following it up with a Body-Bind.

The canny Ghoul dodged the spell, but seemed both annoyed and yet ecstatic. "Ahh…feisty. But I've eaten a few wizards. Oh, their flesh…even if they do not reach the zenith that is Ken Kaneki, then they certainly approach it. Yes…you will be my dessert in this…GUH!"

The reason for his yelp of pain was because Touka had slashed down from above, slashing at his eyes. As he clutched them, she sneered, "Don't you fucking touch him. _He is not yours_." Not letting up, she extruded her _kagune_ and fired the crystalline shards from it. Tsukiyama hurriedly extruded his own _kagune_ to try and shield himself from the onslaught, but Touka's fury lent strength to her attacks. An arm went flying as she slashed it away.

Harry then raised his wand as Tsukiyama was distracted, his back to the wizard. Touka saw what he was doing, and leapt out of the way at the last moment as a Blasting Hex spat towards Tsukiyama. He turned to find it about to hit him, his eyes widening comically, and brought up his _kagune_ just before it hit.

The church shook as the explosion hurled Tsukiyama out of the church through the stained glass window above the altar. Wasting no time, Touka hurried over to Kimi, her _kagune_ retracting. "She's still alive," she said. "Can you get her home?"

Nishiki nodded. He took hold of Kimi. "…Thanks," he said, a little reluctantly.

* * *

The quartet, plus Kimi, fled the church, though not before Harry and Touka tried to find Tsukiyama, and finish what they started. All they found was a blood trail, and a few scraps of his entrails. They decided that, with any luck, Tsukiyama had learned his lesson. If not, they would finish the job.

As they returned to Anteiku, Harry gently rubbed Touka's back. "…You okay?"

"…Yes. It's just…the thought of that bastard eating you, to say nothing of Ken…it really pissed me off," she said quietly.

"You like him, don't you?"

"He's a weak wimp…but yeah. He grows on you, like a puppy. He's like a little brother," she said. "God, I miss Ayato. He wasn't really anything like Ken…but I just wish we could have been happy. Harry, with what Itori told you, I'm upping my training with Yomo. With Aogiri Tree on the move, and Ayato as one of them…I will need to get stronger. We got lucky tonight with Tsukiyama. We can't rely on that luck."

Harry hummed in agreement as they kept walking. Yes, luck was only finite, after all. And they needed to get ready for the storms brewing on the horizon. Aogiri Tree. The CCG. And the British wizards who had an exe to grind against him. A danger from three sides that he needed to deal with…

 **CHAPTER 9 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, here we have it. The Tsukiyama encounter. Sorry if it feels like a Diet version of the original, but unlike this, Tsukiyama knew Ken was a hybrid from the outset, and couldn't lure him. Kidnapping Kimi was an opportunistic thing.**

 **Next chapter, which I don't know when it'll come out, will be a surprising bit of filler. Harry will meet a Dove who might be willing to help. Given that I'm (as of writing this) 10 volumes into the manga series, I thought it'd be a waste to not put a character who is easily the nicest guy in the CCG in. I think you can guess who that is…**

 **BTW, I'm still working on a possible Harry/Eto story. Let me know if you're interested...**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	11. Chapter 10: Ambushes

**CHAPTER 10:**

 **AMBUSHES**

It was a few weeks after that little saga that Harry got summoned by Emiya. Apparently one of the CCG's top investigators had learned about Harry creating the Palatability Potion. However, the Dove wanted to meet on neutral territory. After some considerable discussion with Yoshimura, Harry opted to go. Emiya was most definitely his ally within the Japanese Ministry of Magic, and unless he had been suborned, it was more than likely that the Dove was trustworthy. The fact that Yoshimura had heard of the Dove in question, and so had Harry, helped.

The meeting place was a park, Emiya putting up Privacy Charms as they sat at a park table. The Dove they were meeting was a burly man with close-cropped hair, a short beard, and a blocky face that seemed to have a fairly pleasant nature to it. "Good morning, Harry Fueguchi. I am Special Class Investigator Yukinori Shinohara."

"…Good to meet you, I guess, though I'm wondering why a CCG agent wanted to meet me."

"Well, I have to confess, I am aware of your fame…or rather, infamy amongst the British," Shinohara said. "I am what the British call a Squib. Actually, it is because of that that I came here. You see, an advance guard, so to speak, of British Aurors working for Dolores Umbridge have come to Japan, and are currently in talks to make a joint operation with the CCG to arrest you, as the deaths they allege you to have caused have been confirmed to have been caused by Quinques. And where Quinques are involved, so too are the CCG. Especially when a known thief of Quinques has recently been confirmed as a wizard."

"I've given Shinohara pertinent details of your background, Mr Fueguchi," Emiya said. "There is only sporadic cooperation between the local DMLE and the CCG. However…"

Shinohara nodded. "I know of your background now, and of the fact that you are the Raptor, and that the mother and child you rescued are your adoptive mother and sister."

Harry's eyes narrowed, and he glared at Emiya. "And you told him? A Dove? Why didn't you Obliviate him?"

"Because Shinohara was not just curious, but also wanted to know why. Once he heard your story, then…"

"I found an interesting perspective on Ghouls that I had never truly considered. While I do know of those who scavenge from suicide's corpses, I never thought your mother to be one of them. To think that Ghouls would make better parents than your blood relations. I have to admit, I do find it a little hard to believe, but Emiya and I have known each other for some time, and I trust his judgement. And to be fair to you, you have dealt with a number of troublesome Ghouls for us. Marude, my boss, is frequently torn between upping the reward for your capture, and rewarding you for helping us. That being said, I can't offer you or your family and friends any amnesty. With the Washuu clan calling the shots within the CCG, I doubt they'd allow any leeway like that. But…what I can do is offer some warning in advance. Kureo Mado is an old friend of mine, and I know for a fact that he becomes obsessed with those who he thinks has wronged him."

"In other words, he wants me in Cochlea, doesn't he?" Harry asked, albeit rhetorically.

"Not exactly. He's rather obsessive, and only his daughter and his current partner, Amon, have kept him even remotely grounded. No, he's willing to give you up to these Aurors. Your identity as Raptor Taka is all but compromised. So, I'd suggest watching yourself. I'm risking my job just telling you this. Emiya tells me your family are in hiding. I suggest you do the same, and any Ghouls you associate with, those who are like your family…you warn them to batten down the hatches."

"I'll warn your friends, Harry," Emiya said. "But…" His eyes widened when they saw a ghostly tanuki appear, outlined in silvery light.

" _The British are on their way_ ," spoke the tanuki Patronus. " _And they're bringing Arima._ "

"Arima?" Shinohara asked, his eyes wide in shock.

"Why the hell are they bringing the CCG's Reaper?!" Harry demanded.

"They're probably taking no chances. We can't take you back to the DMLE if the British managed to get in," Emiya said. "But we can't take you back to your friends…"

After a moment, Harry said to Shinohara, "…Shinohara, do you trust me?"

"…Emiya trusts you, and that's good enough for me."

"It'll look suspicious if you were seen chatting to me on good terms…so I'm going to have to Stun you, okay? Make it seem like a fight broke out with you trying to arrest me. We'll work something else out later, right?"

Shinohara, after a moment, nodded. He reached inside his jacket, as if to pull out a weapon, and Harry Stunned him, sending him sprawling, unconscious. "Looks like we'll have to fight each other, then," Emiya said.

"…Yeah. I'm not looking forward to it, if we've got to make it good…"

* * *

Harry was hoping to make like there had been a fight, and then Apparate back to Remus' house, and thus to a hiding spot under the Fidelius. But Emiya got really into the fake fight, and then, just as Emiya's unconscious body hit the ground, Harry's phone rang. "Yes?" he answered it, a little shortly.

"Harry, it's Touka," rasped the voice of his girlfriend. "…Ken…he's been kidnapped, by members of Aogiri Tree."

Harry's eyes widened, and then narrowed. It sounded like she was in a lot of pain. "Touka…I'm not sure how I can help. The British are here any moment, my identity as Raptor has been compromised. Tell Yoshimura to be ready for anything. I promise you, though, I'm coming back, and…" Suddenly, Harry's instincts screamed at him, and he dodged, though the red jet of light smacked into his mobile, shattering it. Shaking his numbed hand, he turned, to find an unfortunately familiar and loathsome batrachian figure.

" _Hem, hem_ ," said Dolores Umbridge. Standing close by were a number of people who looked like the more thuggish Aurors Umbridge could get her hands on, along with some Doves. He recognised Kureo Mado, and, to his horror, Arima. "Harry Potter, by the authority of the British Ministry of Magic, you will be extradited from Japan to face charges of…"

Harry just fired off a spell at her, and took off running. An attempt to Apparate got him nowhere. They must have thrown up wards. His emergency Portkey did little either. He had to dive to the side as spells began spitting at him. He then heard, distantly, a calm voice say, "Hold your fire. I will get him."

Harry's instincts began screaming at him, and he dived behind a tree in time to avoid a lightning-like attack. The infamous Narukami Quinque of Arima, one that could somehow shoot out lightning. Quickly shifting into falcon form, he flew into the trees, and hid on a branch, hoping to remain hidden long enough for them to go away. He watched as the white-haired, glasses-wearing Dove walked beneath the tree, before he looked up sharply. "Animagus," he said simply, leaping up and grabbing Harry, one hand expertly clasped around his beak, the other pressing him down to the ground with his Quinque.

Harry panicked briefly, before shifting forms, and kicking Arima away as the man couldn't hold onto his falcon form. It was like kicking a brick wall, but the man staggered back briefly, if only in brief surprise. Harry fired a Stunner, but the man blocked the spell with his Quinque. A Banishing Charm had more success, sending the man flying through the trees, and Harry fled again, only to find a foot kicking him in the back, and sending him flying far harder than such a kick should have. He rolled into a tree and smashed into it painfully, and as he shook his head, to clear it of the fuzziness, he looked up to find Arima standing over him.

And given how hard the man had kicked him, Harry realised something with frightening clarity. "…You're…not fully human, are you?"

Arima just stared down at him impassively, only for Mado to come running up next to him. "Ah, so you've caught our wayward Raptor," the pop-eyed man said with his unnerving grin. "While I must confess that these wizards from Britain rub me the wrong way, they did help me out of that state you left me in. I think I should repay that with interest."

"Mado," Arima said sharply. "…He will be brought into our custody. The British do not have jurisdiction here. This is a CCG matter."

"Oh, absolutely. But…"

"No. You will not be torturing him. He is not a Ghoul." Arima looked sharply at Mado. "Did he wound your pride that much, Kureo?"

Harry chuckled painfully, struggling to his feet. "…You bastards. You didn't care that the Fueguchis only ate suicide victims or criminals. You just want to kill them because they were unlucky enough to be born Ghouls. I have never killed a Dove in my life, I have killed many troublesome Ghouls… _and you don't care!_ You want to kill monsters? THEN GO KILL YOURSELVES!"

With that, he dived through the foliage, scurrying away, every breath an effort. If he could get to the edge of whatever wards they had thrown up, he could get the hell out of dodge, and then…

Suddenly, he was convulsing, as if hit by a taser, and collapsed to the ground, his mouth open in a silent scream of pain, his vision almost blanked out as if from staring into the sun for too long. "…Well," he heard Mado remark distantly, "it seems Narukami works in getting mouthy little brats to shut up too. A good thing it didn't kill him."

"Yes. We'll get ready to take him back to…"

" _Hem, hem_." Oh Merlin, not **_her_** again. "WE will be taking Potter into our custody right now. The British Ministry has priority, not some Muggle organisation."

"Oh dear, you seem to be under a misapprehension. You have little jurisdiction here, my dear woman. Your use in this scenario seems to have been rather limited," Mado remarked.

"Don't you dare talk down to me, you unseemly Muggle. I am the Senior Undersecretary of…"

"I don't care." Arima's calm tones cut through Umbridge's vicious retort. "My orders are clear. The Raptor will be brought into CCG's custody, and any extradition matters will be negotiated afterwards. Given what I have heard, the people he killed were themselves murderers."

"Now see here!" Umbridge snarled, only to be interrupted by a strange warbling roar. Something crashed through the trees, and roared at them.

"The One-Eyed Owl," Mado hissed, his tone filled with fury, hatred, fear…and even awe.

Harry suddenly felt himself being hauled into the air by a massive clawed hand, hearing a distorted, eldritch voice growling, of all things, " ** _Yoink_** ". The last thing he saw, albeit dimly, before consciousness finally fled him, was a bizarre, elongated and utterly monstrous face, with a single, _kakugan_ -like eye above a mouth that even now was swallowing him whole…

* * *

Harry wasn't expecting to wake up. He certainly wasn't expecting to wake up in relative comfort. True, he felt like he'd been chewed up and spat out by a dragon (and considering his last deranged memory before he fell unconscious, that may not have been far from the truth), but he was lying on a mattress. The room itself was decrepit and had seen better days, but it had a strange feeling of home about it.

"Ahhh, so you're awake," lilted a childish, girly voice. "That's good. You've been out for over a week. The Reaper's little toy did a number on you, and we weren't sure if you were ever going to wake up."

Harry turned to find the source of the voice, sitting perched on a table, her legs swinging to and fro. She was a most extraordinary figure, wrapped in more bandages than a mummy, with a pink, child-like dress with a hood over it, and a floral scarf. He couldn't tell any of her facial features behind the mask of bandages, save for the faint glow of a _kakugan_ behind one eye hole.

Harry tried to ask who she was, only to start coughing, his throat dry. "There's water just there," the girl said. "Don't worry, it hasn't been poisoned, my dear little Raptor."

Harry reached over, and began drinking water from a bottle that was placed next to the mattress, and then looked at her. "…Who are you? Where are we?"

"Ah. I am Eto, and I'm the one who saved your cute little arse from those nasty Doves and wizards. As for where…well, we're in the 11th Ward." Eto grinned behind her bandages. "You see, my dear little Raptor, you're a guest of Aogiri Tree…"

 **CHAPTER 10 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **And with that, I've officially jumped the shark. Don't worry, things will get resolved, and Harry won't remain a fugitive for long. Umbridge will be getting a Darwin Award before long. But maybe Shinohara might be a long-term ally of Harry and the other Ghouls? Who knows? Shinohara is the nicest of the Doves, and probably the most open-minded. Let's face it, he has to be to mentor the likes of Juuzou Suzuya.**

 **I'm still working on my Harry/Eto story** ** _Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc_** **, and it may get posted as a full story soon. I'm also considering another such crossover, though it's in its earliest stages for now.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	12. Chapter 11: The Awful Truth

**CHAPTER 11:**

 **THE AWFUL TRUTH**

Harry felt his blood freeze in his veins at that proclamation. He was in the middle of the enemy's lair, and while he could potentially Apparate away, he didn't know what the situation was at Anteiku, especially not with Eto's claims of a few days having passed. But then, he remembered Touka's panicked phone call just prior to Umbridge and the Doves' attack, and turned a glare at Eto. "Where's Ken?"

The mummy-like Ghoul placed a finger on her chin in a manner that would have been endearing in another situation. "Oh, you mean the kid who got Rize's organs. He's being looked after."

"I highly doubt that. Take me to him, _now_."

"Now, now, Mr Raptor, you are in no position to make threats or demands," Eto retorted. "If I wanted to…" Suddenly, she was right next to him, her hand clasped gently onto his throat, her _kakugan_ glowing from one eye hole. "You'd be dead. And in your groggy state, I'm not sure you can use magic properly. Arima's Narukami does have a bad habit of fucking you up, I speak from experience. But I did not go to the trouble of saving you from the Reaper and his pathetic wizard tagalongs to kill you. I brought you here…to talk. You see, I've been following your exploits for some time now." She then removed her hand.

"…I'm not giving autographs," Harry snarked, while he concentrated. His body and mind was still a little out of sorts. Whatever Narukami did, it had fucked with his magic, he realised. So escape would be difficult until he was able to. So, get Eto to monologue. Voldemort did so, and revealed a few things. Maybe Eto would do the same thing.

Eto chuckled. "I didn't think so," she said, hopping back onto the table. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to start boasting about our plans for world domination or anything. But…I'm curious. Why would a human, and a wizard to boot, be the guard dog for Anteiku?"

"For my family. The Fueguchis showed me more kindness than normal humans did. And your lieutenant ended up getting my father killed!"

"Ah, yes, Yamori. I'll be honest, as much as your father was a weakling, getting him killed as collateral damage during a fight between Yamori and the Doves wasn't nice, to say the least. Though I have a funny feeling that Yamori is going to get in a lot of trouble very soon. As useful as he has been, he's outliving it. So…I'm actually sorry. You actually had a good family. And I did not."

As sincere as that oddly sounded, Harry didn't accept it. He got the feeling that Eto was high up in Aogiri Tree, if not one of its leaders. "And brainwashing Ayato to turn on Touka?"

Eto scoffed. "He did that himself, a ball of teenage angst and hormones. He's a _chuunibyo(_ _1)_ who can't come to grips with his conflicting feelings for his sister, of hatred and brotherly love, though fair warning, he hates your guts. Thinks you're banging her. Anyhoodle, we're not here to talk about them…we're here to talk about you, and me. Oh, I don't want to bang you. You're a bit young, not underage, but I'm actually a little older than you. What I wanted to do was talk."

"…Then talk."

"…Okay. Would you like me to tell you a story? I love storytelling, and it's a true story. It's about a Ghoul called Kuzen. Violent guy, as are most Ghouls, had an empty existence. One day, this ultra-super-secret organisation of Ghouls calling themselves 'V' for some utterly pretentious and portentous reason recruited him. I reckon they were _chuunibyo_ s as well, given how they apparently dress in black coats and fedoras, but…well, I can't talk," Eto admitted ruefully, looking at her bandaged arms.

Harry stifled a smirk at that. But still, 'V'? "What was 'V'?"

"V, I guess you could say, were cleaners. Garbage men. The attack dogs of their masters. Kuzen worked for them, but never could fill that void within him, until he met a woman at a coffee shop, a waitress who took a shine to him, and he to her. Ukina. A human."

Harry could see where this was going. "…You're their child."

Eto pouted. "Oh, way to spoil the plot twist, party pooper. But yes. Ukina even went so far as to become a cannibal in order to keep me alive in the womb. But then, Kuzen discovered a dark secret. You see, my mother wasn't a waitress at all. She was an investigative journalist, investigating V. Kuzen was shocked, understandably, but the ones holding his leash at V found out too. Shortly after I was born, they ordered Ukina's death, and Kuzen was too much of a pussy to refuse. My mother went to her death willingly…but then, there was the tricky question of what to do with little old me. If V had learned of my existence, they'd order my death too. So, he left me with an acquaintance in the 24th Ward."

The 24th Ward, an underground rabbit warren of tunnels and chambers running beneath Tokyo. An infamous hellhole where even Ghouls feared to tread, let alone normal humans. Only the most vicious and brutal Ghouls survived. That a child had been raised there…Harry's eyes widened in horror.

"We're more alike in many ways than you'd care to think," Eto said, hopping off the table and walking over to Harry, gently touching his face with a bandaged hand. "I'm sure you'd disagree, but we know what it is like to suffer the loss of our parents. I have contacts with the wizards, so I know all about your story, and about the ridiculous mythopoeia the wizards in Britain have built up around you. Then again, I have to confess to being jealous of you. Despite everything, you got a loving family, even amongst our kind. But we are both shepherds of our kind, in our different ways."

"…We're very little alike, Eto," Harry said, brushing her hand away gently, if only to avoid pissing off the Ghoul who was currently well within striking range, though he met her gaze evenly. "You're an unrepentant murderer, killing innocents. At least the Ghouls I killed were themselves the worst of them. If you want me to join you…forget it. That's a bad joke, and you know it."

Eto scoffed. "The world is a bad joke." Her voice sounded vaguely familiar to Harry. Not the tone, but the voice itself. If it didn't have the childish, playful tone to it, it…well, he couldn't put his finger on it. "Still…maybe I should let you go and find Ken. Make a game of it. I…" The door opened, and she whirled to confront the newcomer, a tall, imposing Ghoul wearing a white coat, with equally white hair, and red eyes peering at her impassively from a red metal mask obscuring the lower half of his face. "Tatara, I'm not finished yet!"

"My apologies, but the CCG are here sooner than we thought," Tatara said.

"…Bugger." Eto then turned to Harry. "Well, looks like you get that chance sooner than you thought. You get the chance to save your friend, albeit while under fire from both Aogiri Tree and the Doves!"

Tatara looked at Harry, a question in his eyes, albeit at Eto, who nodded. Tatara moved aside. But as he left, Eto said, "Oi, Harry." As he turned to look at her, she grinned beneath her bandages. "I forgot to mention something. Kuzen's last name…and my own. If you don't believe me, you can ask my father yourself. Would you like to know my full name? It's…"

* * *

Anger fuelled him as he stormed through Aogiri Tree's stronghold. His magic flared around him like one of those battle auras from _shounen_ manga. Any Ghouls who got in the way got their heads pulped. Any Doves who accosted him were disarmed and knocked out, with him stealing the more interesting Quinques. His wand had been absent, but he shrank the Quinques to put them into his pocket for now.

As if sensing his anger (or perhaps Eto saw fit to give him a fitting soundtrack for his rampage), the PA system of the building complex Aogiri Tree had commandeered was belting out a song, one he had heard in a video game…

 _You've got nothing and nothing's got you,_

 _I can see your fear, it surrounds you!_

 _Built with strife and insight, but it's not enough,_

 _I'll defeat and discrete your every move._

 _Instinctual, just take your life,_

 _One step, one breath, you're under my knife!_

 _Killing slow is the way I conquer!_

 _The torture test can wait no longer!_

Eto had pointed him in the direction of Yamori's torture chamber, and he made his way to the massive, domed building at a rush. He didn't scream. He didn't scowl. He just had a cold glare on his features, as if anything in the way were mere obstacles.

 _With your first step, you will burn,_

 _Can't control the hate you have learned,_

 _Killing slow is the way I conquer,_

 _Until you know the meaning of SUFFER!_

 _Step twice you invite and welcome death,_

 _Pay homage to me with your last breath,_

 _Say goodbye to a life that you once knew,_

 _ALONG WITH EVERY BEING THAT WAS BEFORE YOU!_

He soon found himself in front of the doors, and a pair of Ghouls were standing guard. He killed them, and blasted the door open, expecting the worst…only to find something utterly unexpected. He saw Ken straddling Yamori from behind, tearing and eating at the man's back. But Ken's hair had gone totally white, his fingernails black, his face haggard, his expression wild, blood covering most of his body, especially his lips…until he saw Harry's entrance.

Harry realised, however, changes in appearance aside, the most substantial change in Ken was his demeanour. He was looking at Harry rather impassively. Gone was the nervous, timid young man. Now, something darker and colder had taken its place.

After a moment, Harry said, perhaps stupidly, the first thing that came to mind, his anger abating. "…Am I interrupting some sort of fetish play or something? I'll come back later when you're done, if you like."

Ken stared at Harry incredulously, before he began to laugh, a cracked, braying sound with precious little mirth in it. And then, a little of the old Ken Kaneki shone forth. Changed and twisted and warped, but not beyond all recognition. "Harry…what are you doing here?"

"Got attacked by Doves and Aurors, got rescued by one of Aogiri Tree's top people, came here to try and rescue you. I guess it's a moot point." Quieter, more solemnly, he said, "Sorry I couldn't get here in time."

Ken acknowledged this with a nod, before turning to Yamori, who was still alive, albeit barely. "…Maybe if humans made you the way you are, you're a victim as much as they are. But I won't take lives for pleasure, not like you. The Doves are raiding this place, so they'll be here soon. I don't think you'll be able to regenerate. I won't be responsible for your life, so die miserably, alone, or else get killed by a Dove. It makes no difference to me."

"…Ken," Harry said. "I'm going to kill him." As Ken looked up at him, he said, "This bastard got my father killed. He tortured you. Something like him doesn't deserve to exist."

Ken stared Harry down, before he shrugged. "…He's all yours…Raptor Taka."

"What?!" rasped Yamori, rolling onto his back to look at the approaching Harry. "…You're the Raptor? Eto…she saved your arse from those Doves, and she's letting you kill me?"

"What can I say? Even a monster like her can have standards," Harry said coldly, before standing over him. "You ever watch _The Princess Bride_? Well…hello, my name is Harry Fueguchi. You killed my father. _Prepare to_ _ **die**_."

"Fueguchi? That human loving…GAH!" This scream was in response to Harry using a Cutting Curse on his arm.

"Killing you won't bring my father back. But if there is an afterlife, he'd be content knowing you are dead," Harry said, before firing more at his legs, and then his genitals. "And my mother and sister will be safer. Not to mention the world will be better off without the likes of you in it."

"…Mercy…" Yamori whimpered.

"Why? You never showed any. Now, how to finish you off?" Harry grinned. "I know." With a gesture, a Bubble Head charm appeared around Yamori's head…which then began filling with water. A Body-Bind finished the job, preventing Yamori from trying to pierce the bubble as it filled with water and began to drown him. As a final touch, Harry used a spell to write, in the blood spattering the floor of the chamber, _The Raptor sends his regards_.

Ken looked on coldly. "You told me, Yamori, that every disadvantage in the world is due to incompetence. Drown in your own incompetence and _die_."

Bubbles burst out of Yamori's mouth, his chest heaving up and down in a panic as he struggled to learn, in an unreasonably short period of time, to become a fish. But to no avail. Soon, all that was left was Yamori, his already grotesque eyes bulging outwards in thanatophobic fear, dead.

After that, Ken sagged, not actually falling down, but his shoulders showing the weariness he must've been going through. "Ken?" Harry asked quietly, in concern. "I know it's stupid to ask if you're all right, but…"

"…Harry…it's fine. I don't blame you or anyone at Anteiku for this," Ken said, his voice unnervingly calm. "But…I can't be the same Ken you knew. Listen, there was a Ghoul called Banjo and some of his supporters. They led Aogiri Tree to me by accident, but they tried to help. Yamori…he murdered two of them in front of me. I've got to go and save them. Once I do, we're getting out of here. You go, get back to Touka and the others at Anteiku."

"…Ken," Harry said quietly. "I'm not leaving just yet. And in any case…I'm not sure I want to go back to Anteiku. Did you see one of their leaders, a girl in bandages called Eto?"

"…Yes. She seemed to be with that Tatara guy, though I didn't know she was one of their leaders. Why?"

"Ken, she's a One-Eyed Ghoul, a naturally-born one," Harry said. And as Ken's eyes widened in shock, he then prepared to drop the bombshell. "And she told me her full name."

"Her full name?"

"Yes. Her full name is _Eto Yoshimura_."

 **CHAPTER 11 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Oh, shit. Well, that's stirred things up. Eto has just caused a major upheaval and change in loyalties, hasn't she? Still, while Harry hasn't come in time to save Ken, he has taken revenge for his father.**

 **Oh, and the music was** ** _Suffer_** **, aka** ** _Cerberus Combat_** **from** ** _Devil May Cry 3_** **, with lyrics by its singer, Shawn 'Shootie HG' Macpherson. I don't own the lyrics or song, obviously.**

 **Anyway, the next chapter will have Harry's final confrontation with Umbridge and Mado.**

 **1\. A** ** _chuunibyou_** **is basically a way of saying someone has delusions of grandeur, being overly dramatic and making out that they have powers. It translates more or less to 'eighth grader syndrome'.**


	13. Chapter 12: Confrontations

**CHAPTER 12:**

 **CONFRONTATIONS**

Harry had managed to regain enough of his control over his magic to do his Animagus transformation again. Ken had told him to leave and head back to Anteiku. But as Harry took to the skies around the facility, watching as Doves and Aogiri Tree Ghouls clashed, he spotted two familiar forms clashing. Touka…and Ayato. Merlin, the little shit was grown up into a whiny teenager, albeit one with a vicious attitude and equally vicious powers. Nishiki, of all people, wasn't far away, clutching at an injury.

What was Touka doing here? A rescue? She was barely managing to hold her own against her younger brother, but that was all Harry needed. Going into a steep dive towards Ayato, he heard him say, "…Weak, just like Father! And your pathetic boyfriend won't be here to save you!"

He saw Touka grin, albeit tiredly, having seen Harry divebombing Ayato from behind. "Really?"

Harry changed, kicking out his foot, and caught Ayato in the face just as the teenaged Ghoul turned, sending him flying. As Harry landed, he grinned viciously at Ayato, who was clutching at his bleeding nose. "Dynamic Entry, _bitch_."

Ayato stared at him incredulously, his _kakugan_ gone for now. "…Of all the…stupid things…you're imitating…Might Guy?" he rasped.

Harry merely kept grinning. "Better than a _chuunibyou_." He turned to Touka, his expression becoming serious. "Ken's alive. He's gone to free…Banjo, was it? As for Yamori…he's dead. I finished what Ken started."

"What?!" Ayato snarled. "That weak little pussy took on Yamori?!"

"And all but killed him. I only finished him off," Harry said. "Now…how would _you_ like to die, Ayato?"

Ayato seemed about to snarl something defiant, only for his eyes to widen. "Down!" he yelled, and Harry and Touka flung themselves to the ground, a volley of spells missing them barely. Ayato brought up his _ukaku kagune_ , and fired a volley of shards at the wizards who fired them, sending them sprawling to the ground, dead. "What the actual fuck?!" Ayato snarled, getting shakily to his feet. "I know Eto said she fought wizards, but I thought she was bullshitting!"

"They've come for Harry!" Touka snapped. "He pissed them off by killing some wizard Nazis with Quinques when they tried to kill him!"

"…Seriously? You killed a bunch of wizard Nazis and their friends want you dead?' Ayato demanded.

"…That's actually just about sums it up," Harry said.

Ayato stared at them incredulously. "…You know, if I didn't hate you already, I'd call that awesome," Ayato said flatly.

There was a sudden whipcrack sound, and Umbridge, along with some other wizards, and Mado, currently dressed in the armoured combat uniform for the CCG, was there, the latter having been held by one wizard. "Ah…there you are," Mado said, "along with some other pests."

"Hem, hem…Harry Potter, it's…" Umbridge began, only for Mado to dash forward, attacking Harry with a Quinque shaped like a sword. Harry had barely enough time to dodge, fish one of the pilfered Quinques from his pocket, and bring it back up to size to block Mado's next frenzied blow.

"GO!" Harry roared at the Kirishima siblings and Nishiki as he kicked out at Mado, sending the older man staggering back, before kicking at the hand wielding the Quinque, sending it flying. Mado returned the favour, and with a deranged roar, slammed him up against the railing, winding Harry. By this point, the others had fled.

"Kill him!" Umbridge snarled.

"But Madam, we'll hit the Investigator…"

"He's expendable! He's just a Muggle!"

Mado's mismatched eyes met Harry's. For a brief moment, an understanding passed between them. Then, Mado shoved them both over the railing, just as a hail of spellfire was fired at them. Thinking as quickly as he could under the circumstances, Harry cast a Featherlight Charm, softening their impact. They were still bruised and a little stunned, but they were alive.

Mado coughed, getting on his hands and knees. "…I'm getting too old for this," he muttered. He then looked at Harry, his mismatched eyes not looking for forgiveness, but certainly seeking something. "…Tell me something. Why did you defend those two Ghouls? When you attacked Amon and I?"

"…Because they were my family," Harry said, as he got up. "They showed me more kindness and understanding than my real relatives did, when they abandoned me to be eaten by Ghouls. They adopted me. They only fed on criminals and suicide victims. You killed my father."

"And you expect me to apologise?" Mado asked, clutching his ribs as he got to his feet. "Heh…a human raised by Ghouls as one of the family…interesting. Still, as the hornets' nest that you stirred up seems set on stinging both of us, I will agree to a temporary alliance for the moment. I hope you have a spare Quinque or two."

"…Yeah," Harry said, pulling one out and reluctantly handing it to Mado, while getting his own out.

Suddenly, with a series of whipcracks, Umbridge and her followers appeared. But as Umbridge opened her mouth, there was a strange eldritch chuckle from the shadows nearby, from which snaked a massive limb, snagging many of the wizards, who disappeared with a scream. There was then a series of crunches, and then, silence. A silence broken by more chuckles. More wizards were snatched away, and apparently eaten, if the noises were any indication.

Only Umbridge was left, as the monster loomed out of the shadows. Harry recognised it as the monster that had taken him away from Arima, Mado and Umbridge. Eto, he realised, encased in one hell of a monstrous _kakuja_. She had claimed to have rescued him from Arima and company.

Umbridge was frozen to the spot, while Eto glared at her. " ** _Did you know that there are exploding toads in Germany?_** " Eto asked almost conversationally, in her warped, flanging tones. " ** _The cause was due to crows pecking out their livers in lightning fast attacks. The toads puffed up as per their idiom for defending themselves…only to go_** ** _kasplorch(_** ** _1)_** ** _!_** " Suddenly, her arm lashed out. " ** _Aw, phooey, I missed_** ," Eto seemed to pout.

Umbridge seemed to get over her shock at this point, and raised her wand, only for the front of her abdomen to slide off, followed by her intestines. She began screaming in agony, trying to get her intestines back into her body, only for Eto to grab her. " ** _Oh, shut up, I'm gonna you something to REALLY scream about!_** "

Slowly, gradually, Eto crushed Umbridge's head like a grape between her jaws, causing it to finally burst in a gory spray. She then ate the carcass. " ** _Ugh, this one's gonna give me the runs, I just know it!_** " she muttered.

Mado, who had been staring at what happened in unaccustomed shock, recovered himself. "…So, the One-Eyed Owl has shown himself to me once more. This must be fate."

"…Actually, she's a girl," Harry said.

"…Hmm. Well, it makes little difference. I swore I would kill the One-Eyed Owl, or die trying," Mado said, readying his Quinque. "Do you remember my wife, you monster?"

" ** _Hmm? I have killed many people over the years, many Doves included. Oh, wait, was that the blonde woman? Kasuka, her name was. She had balls, I'll give her that much_** ," Eto said. " ** _And you've clearly got balls yourself. I'll relieve you of them before you die!_** "

"GO!" Mado yelled at Harry. Not out of any real concern for his wellbeing, Harry thought. But rather, he wanted to go out in whatever passed for in his deranged mind as a heroic manner.

" ** _Fly away Peter, Fly away Paul_** ," Eto crooned as she rushed at them.

Harry, after a moment, transformed into a falcon once more and flew away, looking to find the others as soon as possible. If Touka and Nishiki were here, then it meant that they, or even Anteiku, had mounted a rescue mission. He needed to find them and regroup.

As he flew away, he heard the triumphant cackle of Eto, and the angered, pained howl of Mado. While he hated Mado, he hoped the deranged Dove would be able to leave a mark on Eto when he went out swinging…

* * *

He soon found Yoshimura, dressed in the Aogiri Tree robes, alongside, to his shock, Hinami and Kaya Irimi. He changed back, swooping down in front of them as he did so. Hinami's eyes widened, and she ran for him. "Big brother!" she yelped.

Harry hugged the young Ghoul. "…Sorry I worried you, Hinami. Listen…I need to talk with Yoshimura. Can you go with Irimi for now?"

Irimi noticed this, and nodded, hustling the younger girl away. Yoshimura merely met Harry's gaze. "We need to talk, _Kuzen_ ," Harry said coldly.

"About what?" Only Yoshimura's brief widening of his eyes betrayed his surprise.

"About _whom_ ," Harry said. "Your daughter, Eto. I encountered someone claiming to be your daughter. A daughter who claimed you abandoned her. Oh, and did I mention she's a member of Aogiri Tree?"

Yoshimura didn't even try to deny it. And that was the most damning thing. "…I see." He turned away. "…Her name is Eto. And…I had no choice but to kill her mother, or to entrust her to an acquaintance. Because if I didn't…the people I worked for at the time would have killed them both."

Harry scoffed. "Just like Dumbledore did with leaving me with the Dursleys. The only difference being, at least the old goat apologised in the end. Whereas you…I've known you for over ten years now, and you never told me any of this. I mean, you could have at least warned me, ' _Oh, Harry, by the way, I have an estranged daughter who's nucking futs who's also one of the top people in a Ghoul terrorist organisation, so, just be careful_ '."

"Kindly do not take that tone with me," Yoshimura said, his _kakugan_ showing as he turned back to Harry.

"I'll take whatever fucking tone I want with you, because I nearly got captured, tortured and killed by your daughter!" Harry snapped. "A daughter you hid from me, hid from…how many of us? Well…maybe if you acted like a father, MY FATHER WOULD STILL BE ALIVE!"

In hindsight, he was being a little unreasonable, with that last remark especially. But after everything he went through, and especially after everything Ken went through, it had made him angry, and, to a degree, justifiably so.

And to make it even more galling, Yoshimura just stood there, not quite serenely, but accepting his anger.

Eventually, Harry said, turning his back on the old Ghoul, "…We're done. I don't think I can stay at Anteiku any longer. I could have accepted you having a daughter you hid from us, or killing her mother. But leaving Eto in that shithole…I'm done working at Anteiku. I can't trust you anymore. Besides, if my cover as Raptor Taka has been compromised, you guys are in danger. I'm going to Remus' for long enough to figure out what to do next. As for Ken…I think he intends to leave too, though for other reasons."

"…I see. Harry…I understand. It's way past time for my old sins to come back to haunt me. I suspected Eto to be behind Aogiri Tree, but never knew for certain. What will you do?"

"…Find a way to stop Aogiri Tree…as well as stop whoever was behind V," Harry said. "Oh yes, Eto told me about V, how you used to be part of it."

"Are you sure? You risk much by doing so. Even I was not privy to all of V's secrets, not even Ukina."

"I had a terrorist and his buddies targeting me since I was a kid," Harry said. "Doves would have come after me because I had been adopted and raised by the Fueguchis. I don't care. I want a world where my sister and my mother aren't hunted for the crime of merely existing, where Touka can be free to be my girlfriend, and I free to be her boyfriend. If I have to do so from the shadows, from the darkness, then so be it."

It was at that point that Touka came running up out of the woods. "Yoshimura! Harry! It's Ken! He's…he said he's leaving Anteiku! Some idiocy about getting stronger!" she said, huffing a little.

"…I'm sorry to hear that. He's not the only one leaving," Yoshimura said, looking over at Harry.

"…What? But Harry, we…"

"…Yoshimura has been hiding something from me…from us, Touka," Harry said, looking at Yoshimura. "…I can't truly trust him anymore. I'm going to head to Remus' place to hide out, try and think about things, before I decide what to do next. But…I promise you, I intend to ensure Aogiri Tree, and other things, won't be a threat to us both."

Touka was looking at him in disbelief, before Yoshimura said, "Touka…you want to go with him, don't you?" As she turned to him, he said, "Then go with him. I can manage at Anteiku. I'm sure he'll keep you on the straight and narrow when it comes to your exams." He then looked at Harry. "I've spoken to Emiya. He and Shinohara are keeping things contained. Mado kept quiet about who you were as the Raptor, because he wanted you to himself. He only confided in Amon and Arima. They're going to cover it up by claiming you purchased the Quinques on the black market in the local magical alleys. But it would be best to lie low for now. Hermione's at Lupin's home, just so you know. I sent her there after hearing from you about Umbridge. What happened to Umbridge, by the way?"

"Your daughter ate her. And Mado. For helping me out, I guess she's got some gratitude."

"I see. If you want to go…then go."

Harry nodded. His hands intertwined with Touka's, and the pair of them walked through the woods, ready to face an uncertain future, a future they would face together…

 **CHAPTER 12 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Well, that just happened. Umbridge got her just desserts, Mado died in a more…should I say 'heroic' manner? It's certainly more heroic than trying to murder a little girl who doesn't want to hurt people, despite her nature. Instead, like Ahab, he got to go out swinging, though unlike Ahab, he didn't drag anyone else down with him…unless you count Umbridge and her entourage. That bit where he and Harry briefly cooperate to escape Umbridge was inspired by the bar fight in** ** _Raiders of the Lost Ark_** **, where Indy and the goon he's fighting briefly cooperate when Toht orders his men to shoot them both.**

 **Now, Touka was better prepared this time for fighting Ayato, so their battle wasn't as one-sided as it was in canon. Yeah, she got attacked by Ayato in Anteiku as in canon, but he blindsided her. In a more even fight, she managed to hold her own better.**

 **As for Yoshimura and Harry parting ways…this was something I had planned for a while. I actually wrote an encounter between Harry and Eto as far back as the eighth chapter, and an ensuing confrontation, but felt it was too soon. Instead, I decided on Eto rescuing Harry from Umbridge and the Doves, and telling Harry about her past to sow dissension in the Anteiku camp. Let's face it, Eto is a major troll, and that on top of her daddy issues…well, yeah.**

 **Eto finds Harry fascinating, and even sees a reflection of herself in Harry. While the two won't exactly be friends when they encounter each other next, they will be, perversely, kindred spirits. Unlike Voldemort, who'd brag or boast of his dominance to Harry, Eto and Harry will be able to converse with each other, even if it's not friendly, and filled mostly with snark and ill will.**

 **Finally, after Harry tells Yoshimura 'We're done', play the acoustic version of** ** _Unravel_** **(that's the version that plays over the infamous long walk sequence of the last episode of** ** _Tokyo Ghoul √A_** **). I think it suits the scene. Not quite as tragic as the original scene it played over, but certainly fitting for a parting of the ways.**

 **Anyway, the next chapter will have the time-skip of six months to the second half of the original manga run. Only there'll be some interesting changes, aside from Touka and Harry now being part of Ken's faction.**

 **1\. No, really, this has actually happened. I first heard about this on an episode of** ** _QI_** **(namely** ** _Flora and Fauna_** **). It happened near Hamburg, where crows would peck out the livers of toads in lightning attacks, and fly off. The toads try to puff up as their natural defence…only for the hole in their bodies to make things worse. Net result: a rather messy and gory explosion. The most horrible thing is, some toads don't die instantly after exploding…**


	14. Chapter 13: Strange Bedfellows

**CHAPTER 13:**

 **STRANGE BEDFELLOWS**

 _Six months later_ …

"…I still can't get over the fact that we're working with Doves," Touka muttered angrily as she scribbled in her notebook some notes for an upcoming test. "Don't get me wrong, Shinohara seems like a nice guy, even if he's using my father's bloody _kakuja_ as an armour Quinque, but I don't trust those others. Not Amon, not that Mado woman, and the less said about that ex-Scrapper, the better."

Harry nodded absently. "I know. It was Emiya who encouraged me to do so once the kerfuffle died down. Had to pay fines to the CCG and return most of my Quinques, though. And with the Fidelius put on my identity as Raptor Taka…well, I feel a bit safer. I actually trust Amon enough, though. Remember what I told you, that he was in Porpora's orphanage. Once Shinohara explained the situation to him, that's been fine. He's just got a major stick up his arse. Ditto Akira, though at least she doesn't have her father's level of crazy. Juuzou though…I think he takes his cues from Shinohara."

"…But what about Arima?"

"…If Arima was going to cause trouble, then he would have already," Harry said. "What really pisses me off is that that whole business in the 11th Ward was a diversion for the CCG while most of Aogiri Tree's forces broke into Cochlea."

"Yeah. While dead Doves there are only a good thing, some of those Ghouls are nasty pieces of work," Touka sneered.

"Some good people died there, Touka. Not everyone who works for the CCG is a psychopath," Harry said. "And in a way, allying ourselves with the CCG is a good thing. By sharing information, we're putting together the pieces. One of the keys to this situation is Dr Kanou and what he did to Ken."

"…Yeah," Touka admitted. "…Yeah, I'll give you that. I'm freaked out to learn he's a former medical examiner working for the CCG. Which means what he did to Ken was probably no accident. The problem is, the wannabe Frankenstein's gone underground like a rat, so we need to track him down."

"According to Shinohara, Kanou, supposedly, has gone to Germany, back to the Ghoul research facilities there, but they think the people who told him were lying."

"Figures. They're probably in on it," Touka said. "While Ghouls are the same species as humans, there's enough of a difference that simply implanting a few organs, even a _kakuhou_ , wouldn't necessarily turn you into one. Hermione's been tutoring me in biology, amongst other things, because I'm considering studying that at university."

"Hmm. Hopefully, we'll have better luck finding him soon." He got up from the bed where he was sitting, and gently embraced his girlfriend. "…Because I want this to be dealt with. Aogiri Tree and Eto, whatever 'V' is…I'm sick of this. I want to have a normal life as much as you do, Touka. Instead, here we are, fighting a war."

"…Can't be helped. We each have something to fight for. I'm glad you got Ken to bring us on board for this group of his. Someone sane needs to keep him level-headed. Having Tsukiyama is no good, he's a few sandwiches short of a picnic, Banjo is a moron, and with all due respect to Ryouko and Hinami, they're pretty passive. It's up to us, plus Hermione and Remus, to keep him sane. Especially as he's eating more Ghoul flesh than the flesh we're scrounging up. I mean, I get him wanting to be stronger, but he's obsessed."

"Jason fucked up his head. He's still Ken, just…less of a wimp. Though he keeps getting hallucinations of Rize, apparently. But Hermione is helping him stay sane. Hell, I'd be more surprised the two of them got together if I didn't know how bookish they both were."

Touka chuckled. "…He deserves some happiness in his life."

Harry nodded, just indulging in being close to his girlfriend, hugging her, inhaling the scent from her hair. It had been a whirlwind six months. Aside from getting his name, if not cleared, then untarnished enough that he felt safe enough to walk the streets of Tokyo again, he, along with many others, had to find a way of making their exodus from Anteiku possible. As it happened, the answer was Remus.

In his will, Sirius had left Remus a substantial sum, along with Harry, and the Goblins refused to allow the Ministry to confiscate it. When Harry returned to Japan after the fiasco of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, Remus followed, and had bought up a rather large house, very expensive in Tokyo, where space was at a premium. With renovations done hurriedly after the fiasco of both Harry and Ken being abducted by Aogiri Tree, it became the de facto headquarters for a group of Ghouls who intended to stop Aogiri Tree, and investigate the mysterious 'V'. With the Fueguchis driven out of their home due to Yamori and the Doves, Harry had been staying at Anteiku until his rift with Yoshimura. Now, Remus Lupin had opened up his home to their new organisation.

The organisation was called 'Unravel', partly because it was dedicated to unravelling the truth about Aogiri Tree and V (and thus pulling at the thread to unravel the lies around them), and partly because it was the name of a rather melancholy song that had been making the rounds on the radio recently(1). It comprised of Harry, Ken, Touka, Remus, Hinami and Ryouko (albeit in supporting roles: neither Harry nor Ryouko wanted Hinami in danger, and Ryouko, while eager to help, was still very much a pacifist), Tsukiyama, Banjo, Hermione, and a few others.

Of these, Harry had the most reservations about Tsukiyama. For all Banjo's lack of intelligence, he was also ridiculously loyal to Ken, and wanted to redeem himself for the role he played in Ken getting abducted by Aogiri Tree. Tsukiyama, however, seemed to be in it because he was obsessed with Ken, and was looking for an opportunity to eat him again. That being said, he did bring them good intelligence, via a human photographer who was a friend of his, and he had helped immensely during the operation they were intending to mount against the Ghoul Restaurant.

"So, we're targeting Madam A during this assault on the Ghoul Restaurant," Touka mused, bringing Harry out of his reverie.

"Yeah. Tsukiyama's sources claims that Madam A has had some sort of relationship with Kanou. We're not sure what it is, but it's weird that one of the biggest patrons of the Ghoul Restaurant in the 7th Ward is living in a shitty apartment when you think about it. That being said, she's probably got bodyguards. And if what we suspect about Kanou is true, her bodyguards and Scrappers may very well be Kanou's experiments."

"…Joy," Touka said flatly.

* * *

"…Most of Madam A's entourage seems to have been little more than simple-minded brutes she assigns to being Scrappers," Tsukiyama said, flicking through the photos he had assembled. Harry didn't like him being here, but Ken accepted his help, though he threatened to kill him if Tsukiyama betrayed them. "Particularly grotesque is this charming fellow, Taro."

Harry grimaced at the hulking, heavily muscled man, dressed in a red hood, trousers, and little else, showing off a prodigious gut. "Yikes."

"Oh, he is good at his job, as are the other Scrappers, but they are rather…deficient when it comes to intelligence," Tsukiyama said with a shrug. "However, lately…I have noticed these two intriguing _beautés_ accompanying her."

Tsukiyama's latest photo showed Madam A, wearing a blonde wig and goggles, accompanied by a pair of diminutive figures in dresses and masks, one in black, one in white. "Girls?" Ken asked.

"She calls them Shirou and Kuro. Personally, I feel Italian or French would be better in terms of poetry. Bianca and Nero, perhaps?" Tsukiyama mused. "As it happens, I have made discreet enquiries and investigations. They only recently appeared in her company. My darling Chie has managed to capture at least one photo of them unmasked."

Harry frowned at the proffered photo. The girls seemed to be in their late teens, maybe their early twenties at most, with contrasting hair colour. Otherwise, they seemed to be identical twins. "Ghouls? Aogiri Tree? Or has Kanou managed to replicate what he managed with Ken?" Touka asked.

" _Je sais pas_ ," Tsukiyama said with a shrug. "I doubt they are human, someone would have noticed the smell when they got close enough, and in a Ghoul Restaurant, human is what is on the menu, not as a guest. Little Hinami may be a veritable bloodhound, but we Ghouls have good senses of smell in general. That being said, there's another of my former associates I am a little…concerned about. He shows up on a regular basis normally. Souta. Wears a clown mask, of all the gauche things to wear. Lately, though…he hasn't been showing up as much as he used to. And it seems that his lack of appetite for our little dinner parties started shortly after that business six months ago."

"Something to consider. Aogiri Tree is only part of it," Harry said. "One thing we need Kanou for is to learn whether he did this on his own, or else he's got backing from elsewhere. Ken may be a prototype for a kind of Ghoul hybrid. And then, there was something about Arima. I'm still not convinced he was wholly human."

"Given the tales I've heard about the CCG's Reaper, I'm not surprised," Ryouko said, having put Hinami to bed for now. "He can't be a Ghoul or even a half-Ghoul, or else someone would have noticed, what with those RC Cell detection gates they have at the CCG HQs."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Ken said quietly. "They have them at a few other places. I went through one on an impulse, and I didn't trigger it. Maybe One-Eyed Ghouls can't trigger it."

"Assuming he is one," Touka said. "I've been doing some research on the guy. He had blue hair when he was younger, but it's gradually gone white. Stress or something, but still…if he isn't wholly human, that could be a symptom of it. At least the Fidelius has caused him to forget Harry is the Raptor, though it makes me wonder why he hasn't come after Harry. He must retain memories of attacking Harry, even if he doesn't remember why."

"Yeah. It seems suspicious that he'd come after me in the first place, though. And Eto rescuing me seems odd," Harry said. "Why would one of the leaders of Aogiri Tree bother to save me? There's more to it than simple curiosity."

"Opportunity, perhaps," Tsukiyama said with a shrug.

"Maybe," Ken said. "Truth be told, she seemed to defer to Tatara when I saw her, and yet, the way Harry saw them act, they were either comrades…or else Eto was in charge. Misdirection, maybe. She could very well be the leader of Aogiri Tree. Anyway, Harry, you and, if she's willing, Hermione will be on capture duty. Use your spells to restrain Madam A and her bodyguards. Tsukiyama and I will focus on causing chaos within the Ghoul Restaurant itself, and Banjo and the others will be working on crowd control. While capturing Madam A and her associates is the main goal…" He looked up at them with a cold look in his eyes. "I'm not letting this place exist for any longer. They are little better than Aogiri Tree, causing such misery. I am sending a message. Even without our collaboration with Shinohara, I would do this anyway."

Despite one of his favourite haunts being threatened with destruction, Tsukiyama looked almost ecstatic. "Tsukiyama, wipe that look off your face," Touka said in a deadpan tone.

"What look?"

"Like you want to eat or bang someone, or both," Harry said in an equally deadpan tone. "Neither myself nor Ken swing that way, either to _yaoi_ or cannibal fetishism, and I don't think either Mum or Touka would want to bed you."

"Perish the thought, _mon ami_. In any case, Madam Fueguchi seems to be willing to move onto Monsieur Lupin, _ne c'est pas?_ "

Ryouko blushed slightly, before saying, archly, "I would thank you not to speculate about my private life, Tsukiyama. I tolerate you being around Hinami because you make an effort to be a good influence for her. But remember, attempt to hurt her, my son, or anyone I care about, and I will kill someone for the first time. I needn't name names, should I?"

"Of course not," Tsukiyama said easily.

* * *

The next day, Harry, Touka and Ken were meeting with Shinohara at a coffee shop. The Dove was bringing two others. He only named Amon as one of those who was coming with them. Harry and Touka hoped it wasn't Akira: the cold, clinical woman, while better than her father, made her dislike of the situation clear, especially as Harry had all but left Kureo Mado to get killed by the One-Eyed Owl. Amon was better: while still ridiculously stern and serious, he at least accepted that Harry was a decent person, and was trying to accept that about the Ghouls. If anything, Amon's sympathies were with Ken: knowing that a human had been transformed into a Ghoul had horrified the man.

Shinohara and Amon were already seated at the table when they arrived. "Ah, there you are," Shinohara said with a smile. "Take a seat."

"Where's your third wheel?" Touka snarked as they did so, and Harry put up a Privacy Charm.

As Amon nearly spat out the tea he was drinking, Shinohara chuckled. "Call of nature. He was working as one of our gofers, but when we happened to look into Ken's case, he was around…and revealed he knew you three. You can trust him. In fact, it's partly thanks to him that we were around to raid Aogiri Tree's HQ in the 11th Ward."

Touka glared at Shinohara. Harry knew she still had some ill-feeling, and understandably so, given that he frequently used an armour Quinque derived from her own father's _kakuja_. But he had also pointed out that, towards the end, Arata had gone mad, a side-effect of feeding on Ghoul corpses to gain a _kakuja_. Harry placed a calming hand on her own. "We've found our own lead on Kanou that we're following. Even if we don't turn up something…well, there'll be one less Ghoul Restaurant in Tokyo once we're done."

"Good," Amon said. "Such a thing is obscene. But if you find information, will you share it?"

"If we find out where Kanou is holed up, we will," Ken said.

Then, someone sat down at their table. "Sorry about that," drawled a familiar voice. "Did I miss much?"

As Harry, Touka, and Ken stared at the newcomer, Shinohara said, "No, thankfully. So, I believe introductions are unnecessary, right?"

Harry just stared at the familiar form of Hide, his hair a little shaggier, sitting there with a careless smile. "…Hey, guys. Sorry we haven't caught up lately. And, well…I knew you were a Ghoul, Ken. I've known for a while…"

 **CHAPTER 13 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, the post-timeskip story has begun. But what's this? Ken's group are working with a small but key group of Doves? Hide's actually revealed his knowledge of Ken's secret early? Oh dear…**

 **Review-answering time!** **PrimeMegalodon** **: Exactly. I despise Kureo Mado, to be honest, but I decided that, as he was better than Umbridge in some regards (Umbridge is not a loving family person, nor does she do a good job, whereas Mado, for all his insanity and cruelty, has some decency, and after seeing Hachikawa in action in the manga, nearly zapping an old lady to kill Irimi, there are certainly worse Doves out there), I decided to give him a death he would have wanted.**

 **Guest** **(about Eto, kindred spirits and eyeball licking): While that was unintentional, it does raise a point: Eto's relationship with Harry is basically that of a non-romantic** ** _yandere_** **, just as it is with Ken. Part of it is that, while Harry is no Ghoul, and won't be turned into one for the foreseeable future of the fic, he is, as a human raised by Ghouls, already a bridge between worlds, and thus may be a candidate for the One-Eyed King. There's also an element of jealousy at how well Harry and Yoshimura got along, so her telling Harry about her past and Yoshimura's has more than a little spite to it.**

 **Guest** **(regarding Umbridge being a** ** _chuunibyou_** **, and Eto's differences between this fic and my potential fic in the Cauldron,** ** _Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc_** **): Umbridge is a** ** _chuunibyou?_** **Yeah, I don't think that works. That's just plain delusions of grandeur, which admittedly is part of many** ** _chuunibyous_** **. I think of her as being a combination of the worst aspects of Mary Whitehouse, Margaret Thatcher, and the like, turned up to 11 obviously (as much as I dislike Mary Whitehouse or Thatcher, I don't think they ever tried torturing schoolchildren like Umbridge did).**

 **As for how Eto acts, I only posted the first two chapters of my story, and it's worth pointing out that Eto is actually the first to reach out and, if not apologise, then mend bridges, albeit in her own delightfully deranged way. I've actually put that one on hold for now, as I've had a better idea for such a story, based on my latest (as of writing this review answer) challenge. That challenge is called 'Don't Fear the CCG Reaper', and has Harry raised as Arima's son or little brother, and in that story, we will have Harry/Eto…once I get around to writing it. I want to finish at least the final volume of the first manga series, to get a better idea of Arima's character.**

 **1\. This is the theme song of the first season of** ** _Tokyo Ghoul_** **, naturally.**


	15. Chapter 14: The Twins

**CHAPTER 14:**

 **THE TWINS**

Touka stared at Hide. "…You knew…since that BS you and Ken got caught up in? When you were attacked?"

"Yeah. I don't really remember what happened, but I guess a Ghoul attacked me, and Ken and you guys helped me out. I sort of caught the gist of it when I overheard you guys talking. Now, I knew Ken couldn't have been a Ghoul for all his life without me noticing something, so I made some guesses. I just kept an eye on things. Long story short, I tracked this suspicious guy to the 11th Ward, placed a little tracking device on his shoe. I didn't know he was a Ghoul, not until later. When I did, well…I got the hell out of there and called in the CCG. Jeez, though…Shinohara told me that Jason, the guy I was tailing, tortured you. No wonder your hair's all white. What the hell did he do to you?"

"…I don't want to talk about it, Hide. It was…hell."

"Given Jason's reputation, that's hardly surprising," Amon commented. "But we're not here to talk about him."

"No," Harry said. "Our sources have stated that Kanou may be supplying the Ghoul Restaurant with Scrappers who might be amongst his experiments. What's more, he may have succeeded in recreating the success he had with Ken."

"Hmm. Our own investigations have turned up something interesting," Shinohara said. "We've tried tracking down Rize Kamishiro's body. The records at the hospital claim that she was cremated, in accordance with the wishes of the family. But tracking down her family has been virtually impossible, and the paperwork was signed off by Dr Kanou himself."

"Well, I might be wrong, but this guy is doing transplants, right?" Hide began. "The _kakuhou_ has a pretty strong regeneration ability, and Ghouls can have multiple ones, right?"

Shinohara nodded. "Indeed. Jason, for example, had no less than three, two of which were destroyed by Ken when he attacked Jason."

"…I see where he's going," Ken breathed in horror. "Could you harvest part of a _kakuhou_ multiple times?"

"…Son of a bitch," Harry muttered in realisation. "Rize could still be alive, and her _kakuhou_ being harvested for transplants into other people. Even with part of her _kakuhou_ , Ken's got extraordinary regenerative abilities, and he may have inherited that from Rize. Falling girders might not kill her, and if her _kakuhou_ is carefully harvested, she's become Kanou's supply, as it'd regenerate over time."

"…That's sick," Touka muttered. "As sadistic a monster Rize was, Kanou's as bad. He doesn't even have the excuse of being a Ghoul. He turned Ken into an artificial Ghoul hybrid, and may have created more. I know you'll want the sick bastard alive, but I'm gonna make sure he's a goddamned paraplegic before you take him away."

"I'd prefer nothing worse than a mild concussion," Shinohara said. "And if Aogiri Tree has taken an interest…well, we've reports that Jason's former underling, Naki, and a powerful Ghoul called Shachi were amongst those freed from Cochlea. Shachi is one of those I'm most worried about. His full name is Masataka Kamishiro, and was presumably related, or at least the guardian, of the Binge Eater. He's not only a strong Ghoul, he's an extremely skilled martial artist. Combine a Ghoul's strength with martial arts ability, and you have one deadly SOB."

"And Naki?" Harry asked, the name sounding vaguely familiar.

"Dangerous enough to be considered S-rated," Amon said. "However…I believe the appropriate term is 'not the sharpest tool in the shed'. I saw him a couple of times in Cochlea. He is…histrionic, prone to emotional outbursts and mood swings. When Jason's death was reported to him by one of our guards, he…wept rather profusely. It'd be comical if he weren't an S-rated Ghoul. He is also highly illiterate, unable to spell even words made from _hiragana_ or _katakana_ properly, let alone pronounce certain words. He doesn't even know many idioms. I know many Ghouls lack education, but with him, it's ridiculous."

"But he's still dangerous?" Harry asked. "I mean, if he was one of Yamori's followers, and he's S-rated…"

"He's dangerous," Shinohara said. "Make no mistake. He may even want revenge on you two for your parts in Jason's death. Those are the ones who we might be facing. Once we find out where Kanou is, we'll have you go in first, and we'll come in second. This isn't because we want you to take the brunt of any attacks. Rather, it's because of the need to play our roles to any who might be watching. Aogiri Tree is part of it, but you have most of the CCG, especially those under the influence of the Washuu family, to deal with. As I have mentioned before, if they catch wind of our meeting and collaborating with Ghouls, even if it furthers an ongoing investigation, we will be screwed."

Harry nodded. The Washuu family was another common thread. The CCG had been founded by them, their policies set by them. However, they were also a very secretive family, one who shunned the spotlight, despite what they had created. "We understand. Kanou, Madam A, and Kuro and Shirou are the priorities to capture, alive and relatively unharmed. Just remind Juuzou of that."

Amon, meanwhile, was frowning. "…Kuro and Shirou?"

"Twin bodyguards to Madam A. One with dark hair, the other with white hair," Harry said. "Girls, maybe in their late teens, early twenties."

Amon's eyes widened, and he looked at Shinohara. "Sir, the Yasuhisa twins…Kurona and Nashirou…"

"You know them?" Harry asked.

Amon looked uncomfortable. "…The Yasuhisa twins…they were once part of an affluent family before a Ghoul murdered their parents. They were brought to the Junior Academy as is standard, and I found them pleasant and eager to become Investigators. They had a…troubled relationship with Suzuya. They fell off the radar some time ago."

"It may not be them, and I sincerely hope they aren't," Shinohara said. "Who knows how Juuzou would react?"

"I dunno why you have such a creepy little bastard as an Investigator," Touka said. "Mado, the older one, he was creepy and weird, but Juuzou takes it to a whole other level. Plus, the thought of that stitching he does to his body…"

"In a way, he's a pet project of mine. Miss Kirishima, given that you yourself despise the concept of Ghoul Restaurants and the Scrappers used in them, you must agree that rehabilitating a Scrapper, if it's possible, is a priority."

"Some things that are broken can't be fixed," Touka said bluntly.

* * *

After some further discussion, the Doves left, while Hide had a long talk with Ken. A tension between them lessened, even if it was only a minor tension, and they soon returned to their home base. Touka had seemed shocked at how much Hide had accepted Ken's new existence.

However, they had work to do. Hermione had agreed to help them with this raid, as well as the raid on Dr Kanou's facility, wherever that was. Hermione thought she could identify any equipment and samples they needed to take. Remus and Ryouko, along with Hinami, would be sitting this out.

So it was they were waiting in one of the emergency exits of the Ghoul Restaurant, one Tsukiyama told them about. Once the commotion started, Harry and Hermione waited, even as they heard footsteps haring down the corridor. Then, the distinctive form of Madam A, followed by the hooded twins, came around the corner. Without any further preamble, Harry and Hermione shot Stunners at them. Madam A was felled quickly, but the twins dodged. " _You've nowhere to run, Shirou, Kuro_ ," Harry said, the voice-changer in his mask warping it.

"Raptor. And a new acquaintance." One of them, presumably Kuro (given her black clothing: Kuro meant 'black' after all in Japanese).

"You will move aside or die," the one who was presumably Shirou said. As if to emphasize their point, _rinkaku kagune_ , much like Ken's and Rize's, burst from their backs.

Hermione, wordlessly, threw something at the ground. Almost instantly, the twins sank up to their knees in the Instant Swamp, and in their moment of panic, Harry and Hermione managed to Stun them both. "… _I'm glad I stocked up on the Weasley Twins' items_ ," Hermione said.

" _Prank items that are useful in combat? Wish I'd thought of that_ ," Harry muttered. " _We'd better get them secured._ "

As they used the Portkeys prepared to send them back to their base (specifically the reinforced cell Remus used when he had his…time of the month, so to speak), Touka rounded the corner, her rabbit mask in place, and her _ukaku kagune_ at the ready. "Well?" she asked, her voice slightly muffled by her mask.

" _Success_ ," Harry said. " _We got all three of them thanks to Athena. How's things out there, Rabbit?_ "

"It's like a horror movie, with Eyepatch as the monster," Touka said, using Ken's chosen codename. It was the one the CCG now used to describe him. Athena was chosen by Hermione as her own. "Gourmet's enjoying himself way too much, given that it's his former social circle we're decimating. Freak. We've dealt with those Scrappers. The Gourmet was correct, their organs are all weird, deformed. The others are setting up the firebomb."

" _Good_ ," Hermione muttered. " _I don't think we can go as far as the Romans did with Carthage. We don't have enough salt(_ _1)_ _. But burning this place to the ground will put a smile on my face._ "

"You and me both, Athena…"

* * *

"…So they definitely had _rinkaku kagune_ , very similar to Rize's?" Ken asked, looking at the two young women strapped to the tables, alongside Madam A, who turned out to be a rather plain-looking dark-haired Ghoul once her wig, glasses and makeup were removed.

"I remember what Rize's looked like. Admittedly, a lot of _rinkaku_ look very similar, but when I went to inject them in the mouth with the RC Suppressant, they both have a _kakugan_ in one eye," Harry said. "I'll have to thank Shinohara for smuggling that stuff to us. Though it won't last long. Hermione, you have the Veritaserum?"

Hermione nodded, handing Harry a vial filled with a clear fluid. "Just remember, they might be able to work around the truth."

"Will this stuff work on Ghouls?" Touka asked.

"You're able to drink the Palatability Potion without problems, Touka," Harry pointed out. "I think Ghoul stomachs seem to only react badly to something that is actually food. Or maybe it's because this is magic. Besides…Mum tested it earlier. She's fine, if a bit embarrassed because I had her confess her growing love for Remus."

"Who do we question first, then?"

"Madam A. Then either of these two," Harry said. "Madam A might not know where Kanou is, but we need whatever information we can get from her. Kuro or Shirou will probably know where Kanou is, and might know some details."

"And what then?" Ken asked.

"I don't know. I've got the feeling that the twins are as much victims of Kanou as you are," Harry mused. "Madam A…I don't know. It depends on what we unearth during the interrogation. Now, masks on. Even if we are going to Obliviate them of the interrogation afterwards, I don't want to take any risks, in case they somehow undo the Obliviation…"

* * *

The interrogation went swimmingly. Madam A had divulged a lot of what she knew, and for all her apathy to cruelty, she actually had a surprising amount of affection for her Scrappers, albeit in the same way one would have for a pet. She was more blind to suffering than being a complete sadist, so after considerable debate with the others, they opted to release her.

The interrogation of the Yasuhisa twins, however, while informative, was also hard to go through, if only to hear of how they had been manipulated by Kanou into agreeing to undergo the same procedure that Ken had undergone. They had actually undergone the surgery shortly after Ken's own successful surgery.

Their reasons? Kanou had taken them under his wing, adopting them after they left the CCG Junior Academy, and becoming a father figure, after their own parents were murdered by a Ghoul. Kurona and Nashirou had been utterly brainwashed, and were his willing servants. Kanou was also distantly aware of the activities of Unravel, and was considering joining Aogiri Tree, if they accepted his proposals.

More horrific than the twins' own story, however, was the story of the rejects from Kanou's procedures. He called them 'Floppies', and a number of them were the Scrappers Madam A used. They were twisted out of shape mentally and physically by their bodies and the implanted _kakuhou_ s of Rize conflicting. The lucky ones suffered lethal organ failure in short order.

However, the twins hadn't been trained to withstand Veritaserum, and Kanou's base was soon divulged: the former Yasuhisa mansion.

The question remained, what to do with them? Deprogramming them would take time, especially as it was psychological rather than magical, and yet letting them go back to Kanou was a potential death sentence. By the same token, the CCG might vivisect them, and even if they didn't, questions would be asked of how the Yasuhisa twins got captured and delivered to them in the first place.

A quick call to Shinohara, who was thankfully free, offered a solution. They'd bring the twins with them to Kanou's hideout for the upcoming raid, and leave them there to be conveniently found by the CCG. As they would be identified as victims of Kanou rather than as combatants, Shinohara believed that they could spin this in the right way to even appease the Washuu…theoretically. It might even lead to a point where Ken could be outed as a victim of Kanou with few repercussions. Theoretically, anyway. Of course, Shinohara knew that doing so was dangerous, so for now, they weren't going to do that.

But for now, they had a raid against Dr Kanou to plan…

 **CHAPTER 14 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Hide's mended bridges with Ken, and Unravel now have their target. Figuring out what to do with the Yasuhisa twins was a bit tricky, and hopefully, the story will allow for both of them, if not to get a happy ending, then to get a better ending than in canon.**

 **1\. According to legend, after destroying their rival Carthage, Rome sowed the nearby fields with salt, supposedly to keep anything from growing there ever again.**


	16. Chapter 15: The Best Laid Plans

**CHAPTER 15:**

 **THE BEST LAID PLANS…**

Because they needed to cooperate, at least in part, with the CCG, they were forced to delay the raid while the CCG mustered their forces. In the meantime, they got a disturbing report: Taguchi, the nurse who assisted Kanou in the operation, had disappeared, and some scattered remains indicated that she had been abducted, tortured and murdered, possibly by Aogiri Tree. So they needed to get a move on.

Harry had, with help from Hermione and Remus, Transfigured the twins into pebbles, which he carried with him. Once he was in the right spot, he'd use a _Finite_ on them to undo the Transfiguration. They'd remain asleep for several hours afterwards, long enough for the CCG to get them safely into custody. Theoretically.

The facility's entrance was behind an RC Cell Wall in the basement of the Yasuhisa mansion, camouflaged by brick. The wall of organic matter derived from _kagunes_ was actually an invention of the Ghouls of the 24th Ward, but it seemed Kanou was using it too.

They made their way into the facility. Harry, Ken, Touka, Banjo, Tsukiyama and Hermione, along with Banjo's offsiders, comprised the party. In about three-quarters of an hour, the CCG would mount a raid. Hopefully, they'd be in and out before Aogiri Tree made their move. Harry knew that was probably ridiculously optimistic, and they spotted cameras monitoring their progress.

There was a Floppy, a grotesque lump of a man, that emerged from a tank they had crossed a gantry over, trying to attack them. The moment they retaliated, injuring him, the Floppy's own _kagune_ ate him. They hurried through, knowing that they were on the clock.

" _Why do I get the feeling we're playing through a_ Resident Evil _game?_ " Hermione muttered beneath her mask. On their looks, she clarified, " _It's called_ Biohazard _over here_."

"It's not just you," Touka muttered beneath her own mask. "And it's like a bloody maze in here."

Harry used a Point Me, and nodded. " _He's this way, at least as the crow flies_."

However, they soon came to a dead end, albeit with a rather sturdy-looking hatch. Harry and Hermione charged up a Blasting Hex, and blasted it, revealing another RC Cell Wall behind it, and a hole dug out by the explosion.

"…This feels like a trap," Ken observed. "Gourmet, Lute, stay here. If things get too hairy, use the Portkeys." Lute was Banjo's codename, as a pun on his name in English.

They walked through into what seemed to be a vast room, with various chambers and tanks arrayed around the round chamber. And in the middle was a raised area, and set in an alcove with a transparent front, was a familiar form, restrained, tubes running out of her body, her purple hair lank around her now haggard face.

"…Rize," Ken breathed in horror. She stared back at him, uncomprehending, her mouth slack, with a small stalactite of drool dripping from her lips.

"…This is sickening," Touka muttered.

Then, they heard a voice from the walkway running above Rize's prison. "…I was hoping we could talk." A kindly-looking older man appeared at the railing, looking down at them with a smile. "I hope you have been diligent with your prescription, Kaneki."

"…Is this really the time for bad jokes?" Touka snarked. "You sick and twisted bastard, you ruined his life, and for what, because you wanted to play at being Doctor Frankenstein?"

"What I do here is not _playing_ , my dear young lady," Kanou said. "I'm guessing you are the ones responsible for capturing the twins. A shame. But then, it proves that suppressing their emotions was a mistake, for Kaneki here has reached dazzling heights without such assistance."

" _But why? What could you possibly hope to gain from this?_ " Hermione demanded. " _Are you making monsters for the military?_ "

"Of course not. You've been watching too many bad films," Kanou said. "No…it's because of something deeper. Caged birds cannot fly freely, for they do not own the cage. Who created this birdcage we call the world, a warped cage that entangles it? I want to destroy it, but to do so, I need powerful means. To whit, Ghouls, artificial Ghouls, via artificial heterosis, creating those that would be the ray of sunlight that pierces through the clouds. The sacrifices were great, as were the number of means that I tried. But even my many failures were useful, like the RC Cell Wall you doubtlessly saw."

Ken glared at Kanou. "…You're full of it. I don't know whether you're just insane, or whether you like driving other people insane as well through riddles and metaphors. You may have saved my life…but at what cost? Do you know what my life was like since then? Only my friends stopped me from going _insane!_ And it's _still_ touch and go. You make yourself out to be a visionary, a saviour, given all that talk…but you're just a crazy bastard."

" _And we've met way too many of those_ ," Harry said, raising his wand. But before he could fire a spell, he was suddenly flying through the air. He rolled rather painfully to a halt in time to have Touka land next to him, having been hurled through the air too.

"…Did someone get the number of that truck that hit me?" Touka muttered woozily.

"Shachi," called out a deep voice.

Harry shook his head to clear it, and stared at the Ghoul facing down Ken, a big, burly man with long black hair, and a drooping moustache. Hermione was backing away. "... _Oh shit,_ " Harry muttered.

However, they also heard a creepy giggle from the entrance. A familiar one. The short, bandaged form of Eto strode through, clutching something in her hands. "Your friend, the one with the stupid beard…he dropped something." She let her hands fall open, and bloodied shards of bone clattered to the floor. "His ribs. He'll live, though. Naki and his friends are looking after the Gourmet."

As Eto strutted into the chamber, Touka muttered, "That's Yoshimura's daughter?"

Eto must have heard them, for she was suddenly right in front of them in a blur. "Yep," she said, grinning from behind her bandages. "And you must be Ayato's big sister." In a vaguely childish gesture, she gripped Touka's cheeks in a manner that would have been endearing had it not been for the situation. "Aww, you're so cute. Ayato's probably a violently _tsundere_ sis-con in denial, on top of his many, _many_ other issues. Seriously, once he's old enough, he needs to get laid."

As Touka, on a potentially lethal impulse, batted Eto's hands away, Harry muttered, " _That explains so much, and yet so little. And is so very_ _ **wrong**_ _on so many levels._ "

Eto shrugged. "…You know, it's weird. I feel like I've forgotten something very important about you, Raptor, but I can't, for the life of me, remember what it is. And I don't remember telling you about my father. Still, you guys are after Dr Kanou. Well, so are we. And to be honest…I called dibs."

"… _I go by first come, first served_ ," Harry snarked back.

"Hey, doc," Eto called out. "If you want to come with us, go and pack your bags or whatever. I've got some business to deal with. Shachi, feel free to wale on Ken, just don't kill him yet, okay? And bushy hair? Do whatever the hell you want, but keep in mind…you're nobody I really give a damn about."

As Kanou dashed off, Hermione pursued him, using Apparition to get to the higher levels. Ken, meanwhile, was forced to dodge as Shachi began attacking at blinding speeds. Harry and Touka had no chance to help him, though, as Eto had knocked them into the walls of the chamber. Eto skipped over, and then gripped Touka's head. "You know what I see when I look at you, Touka? I see my father's guilt at what he did to me. You're his little pity project, used to try in vain to clean his bloodsoaked conscience!"

Harry hit her with a Stunner, although all it did was sent the One-Eyed Ghoul reeling, rather than knocking her out. " _Get away from her, you_ _ **bitch!**_ " he roared. A Blasting Hex sent Eto flying, her dress shredded, revealing her slender body, covered in bandages, now singed somewhat by the explosion. He fired off a Cutting Curse, and then several in quick succession as she dodged them, before she was slamming him to the ground.

"I **_LIKED_** that dress," she hissed in anger. "Do you know how hard it'll be to get a replacement?!" Suddenly, she had to dodge shards from Touka's _kagune_.

"You're gonna be replacing a lot more than that, you bitch!" she snarled.

As Eto danced away, Harry Apparated behind her, and fired a Body-Bind at her, which she promptly dodged. Harry noted that some of her bandages were loose, revealing…was that green hair? "Okay…I'm 110% **_DONE!_** " Eto snarled, before flesh burst from her body, cocooning it until it formed a _kakuja_ , not the one they had fought before, but a hulking one closer to human size, with a vaguely owl-shaped mask. Harry stared in horror. He recognised this one, as being not unlike Yoshimura's, who showed it to him one time.

" _Touka! Get back!_ " Harry yelled.

Touka knew better to argue, dodging as Eto charged with a roar. Touka ran to Harry, and grabbed onto him. They Apparated to the gantry area, but as Eto wheeled to face them, she suddenly seemed to gesture in a way that indicated she was listening to something, the malformed talon her arm had become reaching up to her ear. "… ** _What_** ** _, Tatara?!_** " After a pause, Eto then said, " ** _Ah…good. Keep the witch away from him. Ensure he gets only the bare essentials, destroy the rest. We're getting the hell out of here._** " Another pause. "… ** _Raptor and his girlfriend are giving me more trouble than I anticipated. It's my own fault, really, for playing with my food._** " A battered Ken flew through the air past her and slammed into a tank on the wall. Rather casually, she added, " ** _Shachi's having fun too. Right. Oh. Well, go figure. Right. Better vamoose._** " Eto began shedding her _kakuja_ , and turned to Shachi. " ** _Tatara's fetching Kanou_** _. His surveillance system has spotted_ Doves making their way in. There's an escape route Kanou has ready."

"… _Did you just have a mobile phone conversation in the middle of battle?_ " Harry asked in disbelief. She must have had a Bluetooth receiver in her ear. " _That's incredibly rude._ "

"So's gatecrashing, but the Doves are coming this way," Eto said with a shrug, peering at them. "Better help your friend and get out of here."

Suddenly, a crash from nearby caused them to whirl around. Rize's chamber had been broken open, and a form with a raven mask, familiar to the Ghouls of Anteiku, walked out, cradling Rize's body. "…Yomo?" Touka whispered under her breath.

"Don't go out the same way you came in with the Doves coming," Yomo called out. "We'll talk later." And with that, he dashed out.

"…One of my father's dogs, no doubt," Eto remarked.

Harry scowled, before using a Patronus. " _Athena, use a Portkey. Abort the mission._ " He then did the same for Tsukiyama and Banjo, before he used a Summoning Charm to get Ken onto their gantry. Quietly, he said, " _Get back to base. I need to find somewhere to leave the twins._ "

"…Don't die," Touka said, before she and Ken used their Portkeys.

"…Curiouser and curiouser," Eto remarked. "But why are you staying behind?"

" _I have something I need to do. You've got the doctor. Get out._ "

Shachi moved forward, but Eto halted him with a gesture, and looked up at Harry. "…You know, you're verrrry interesting, my dear Raptor. I'm sure we'll meet again…"

* * *

It took some time for Harry to find a place to leave the twins before he took the Portkey back. Once he was back, the raiders held a post-mortem. For all their failure to capture Dr Kanou, partly thanks to Aogiri Tree, they'd learned that Kanou indeed had some sort of agenda, even if he had obscured it behind visionary metaphors. Hermione failed to get any documentation, thanks to Kanou and Tatara.

They also had a threat assessment of the various Aogiri Tree members. Tsukiyama had fought Naki, and considered him more of an annoyance than a threat. However, it was agreed that Eto and Shachi were the real threats. Ken recounted how the burly Ghoul had used martial arts to beat him into submission, and Harry and Touka recounted their own fights with Eto.

"One thing puzzles me," Ken said, rubbing at his side. "Shachi was related to Rize, right? So why didn't he kick up more of a fuss when Yomo took Rize away? Hell, how did Yomo know where Rize was?"

"I dunno, but I'll be he did it on Yoshimura's orders," Harry said grimly. "We'll have to go and see him. Yoshimura's up to something…"

 **CHAPTER 15 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Yes. Yes he is.**

 **Now, keep in mind, before you guys bitch about how I portrayed Touka, Harry and Eto's fight, that I did keep in mind that Eto is the type to play with her food, so to speak.**

 **Review-answering time!** **rmarcano321** **: It's probably not true, but it's rather infamous. So was Rome and Carthage's rivalry, which happened prior to the rise of the Caesars.**

 **LoamyCoffee** **: That's going to be tricky on two accounts. The first is that the twins did not have a high opinion of Juuzou, due to his general creepiness. The second is practical: to keep his feminine looks, Big Madam basically made a eunuch out of Juuzou using a mallet. It IS worth pointing out, as I will imply in a later chapter, that the twins will eventually become the first members of what will be the Quinx Squad.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	17. Chapter 16: Revelations

**CHAPTER 16:**

 **REVELATIONS**

Yomo lived in a modified shipping container. Thankfully, as it wasn't a school day after their raid, Harry and Touka, along with Ken, paid the older Ghoul a visit. Harry and Touka had visited him here before, albeit before their split with Yoshimura. Yomo put on a coffee percolator. "…You're here because of Rize," he said. It wasn't a question.

"Yes. Who ordered you to get her? Yoshimura?" Harry asked.

"Not exactly. Normally, I wouldn't tell you this, but Yoshimura told me about your rift with him, and he wants you to understand." Yomo sighed quietly. "…Before he went to Cochlea, Shachi knew Yoshimura. The two have a mutual respect. They made an agreement to look after their respective daughters, should they find them, as Eto was already leading Aogiri Tree, and Rize was off doing her own thing. Shachi contacted Yoshimura, and he contacted me."

"…So that's why you were there?" Ken asked. "Because Yoshimura had some agreement to look after her?"

Yomo nodded. There was a loud clang from nearby, and he winced, going outside to another container, leading them to it, and opening it. Rize was present, in a straitjacket, looking haggard and hungry. Harry felt an absurd surge of pity looking at her.

Yomo took some meat out, unwrapped it, and hurled it to Rize, who scarfed it down. "…Just because we made the agreement doesn't mean we'll be letting her loose any time soon," he said. "I'm feeding her enough to survive, but not enough to let her break free. Given time, we'll try to rehabilitate her."

"…Bitch needed to go on a diet anyway," Touka scoffed contemptuously.

Ken squatted down, meeting Rize's eyes. "Rize? Do…do you know who I am?" Rize seemed set more on consuming the meat. Eventually, she looked up, looking at them blankly with her _kakugan_.

"Not quite the reunion you envisioned, huh?" Yomo said. "But…why did you want to see her? Aside from finding out why I was there?"

"…I dunno. I should blame her for everything that happened to me since that night…but I can't. Doctor Kanou put the organs into me. Jason did this to me." He ran his hands through his hair. "Rize…"

Rize seemed to finally react to this, looking at him with her _kakugan_ eyes. Lucidity was inside them, even slight recognition. "…Kaneki…what's…with the hair? You…look like…a punk," she rasped.

Ken laughed nervously. "…It's a long story. Look…even if I don't like this…I'm glad you're out of that lab…"

* * *

Rize began to fall out of her lucid state afterwards. Yomo gave them some encouraging words, despite his usual lack of verbosity, and they left, enlightened, but not exactly satisfied. Harry and Touka felt ambivalent about what was being done to Rize. On the one hand, being kept prisoner like that was cruel. But on the other, it had to be better than what Kanou did to her, and in any case, Rize herself was cruel.

The next day, they had another thing to do. Thankfully, it was a more pleasant activity: a book signing by Sen Takatsuki. Harry, Touka, Ken and Hinami were all going. The four of them had read her latest book, an anthology called _The Hanged Man's Macguffin_ , a collection of stories told by condemned prisoners in a jail.

As it happened, Hide was there too, but they were waiting in a line for so long, until Sen Takatsuki finally dashed in, late. Harry frowned when he saw her. He'd met the young author before at a couple of other book signings. A short young woman with a slender frame, a messy mane of green hair that reminded him a little of Hermione, and a ditzy demeanour. After apologising, the signing began, though Sen kept on stopping for selfies and going on long discussions with her editor, or PA, or whoever that nagging guy was. Something about her triggered something in his mind, but he couldn't grasp what it was.

Harry finally got to the front with Touka and Hinami. "Hi!" Sen said, before she peered at him curiously. "Have we met before?"

"A couple of times. I'm Harry Fueguchi, this is my little sister Hinami. And this is Touka Kirishima."

"Ahh, now I remember you," Sen said. "You were adopted after your British relatives abandoned you here. I actually nearly wrote a story about that for this book, but never could get it to work. And you preferred _Resentment_ out of all my stories. That was unusual enough for me to note. And this is your girlfriend, right? Nice catch." Touka blushed.

They engaged in small talk for a while, before she finished, after rolling her eyes at her agent's pointed remarks, and she moved onto Ken and Hide, teasing them briefly about being a cute couple. Then, they left, only for Harry to notice something slipped in the book's front page. A business card, with Sen's phone number on it, with a cheeky, 'Call me!' on it. Touka frowned at that, and so did Harry.

Until he remembered something. What had been bugging him in his mind while at the signing. Green hair. Something he had only really seen in two people in Tokyo. Or rather, if his suspicions were correct, one person.

He remembered the tufts of green hair poking out from behind the damaged bandages on Eto's head. And the green hair that topped Sen Takatsuki's head. He remembered her voice, childish, and yet so familiar, and now realised it was like Sen's at times.

And he remembered a conversation he had with Ken months ago.

"Egg of the Black Goat _feels a bit close to home, though. If I didn't know any better, I'd bet that Takatsuki was a Ghoul, or was adopted by one._ "

" _Really?_ "

" _Well, either that, or she was the daughter of a serial killer. It sounds a bit autobiographical. I mean, I'm probably reading too much into it, but_ …"

Harry paled. He'd actually meant that mostly as an offhand, fatuous remark. But now, it painted things in a disturbing new light. Because if he was right, and he hoped he was wrong, Eto Yoshimura and Sen Takatsuki were the same person…

* * *

He only told Touka, Hermione and Ken about this. They were understandably shocked, and yet Ken actually thought this scarily plausible, having read and analysed Sen's works for a long time. And he remembered the distinctive shade of Eto's hair, and considered it to be the same as Sen's.

Eventually, Harry made the decision to ring Sen, that evening. When the sleepy voice of Sen answered, Harry said, "This is Harry Fueguchi. For some reason, you slipped your contact details on a card with 'call me' on it. I thought it might have been a mistake, but I needed to make sure."

" _Oh, no no no, it wasn't a mistake. I just wanted to talk to you, but that killjoy agent of mine, Shiono, he's a pain in the arse. I just wanted to talk. And thankfully, I'm free at the moment, and alone._ "

"I'm surprised you didn't give the card to Ken. He's a bigger fan of you than I am. But…there's a question I wanted to ask you. _Egg of the Black Goat_ …that was autobiographical, wasn't it, Eto?"

A brief pause on the other end, before Sen's voice changed. Only a little, it wasn't quite like Eto's childish tones, but the sleepiness and ditziness was now gone, a sharpness in its place. "… _Well, this is the point where I should deny it, but I'm actually more curious as to how you figured it out._ "

"When we met, your voice was familiar," Harry said. "The last time we met when you were Eto, I caught a glimpse of your hair colour. And I had this notion that you were either a Ghoul or adopted by one, even if I didn't really think seriously about it at the time. _Egg of the Black Goat_ , when you think about it, sounds almost like a Ghoul child coming to terms with their own hunger."

A chuckle on the other end. " _Which is weird, because while my memories of talking to you last are a little messed up, I don't remember my hair showing. It could have been while I was fighting the Raptor, but…anyway, as the song goes, I can't get you out of my head, Harry Fueguchi. Like I said, I just want to talk._ "

"So talk."

" _Nope. We'll do it in person. Oh, and don't be naughty and tell any Doves about me…or I will destroy your family, your friends, and then you. It's not the right time for me to reveal myself_ …"

* * *

Eto told him to come alone the next morning. Ironically, it was the same park where he, Emiya and Shinohara were talking at, and indeed, the same park bench. As they approached, Harry put up Privacy Charms. Eto looked up, and smiled. Despite the somewhat dangerous aspect to it, it was also, perversely, welcoming.

"…So, here we are," she said as he sat down.

"Yes. Here we are."

Eto rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that cold tone of voice."

"People have died or been tortured because of you."

"That's what people do," she said dismissively. "Cruelty to one another seems to be inbuilt into the human condition. Though I will admit, Yamori got what was coming to him. While I prefer my subordinates to be ruthless and powerful, they should also be able to rein in their cruelty. So, I have to ask, why did you come here?"

"You said you wanted to talk."

"Yes, I did, didn't I? Oh, don't worry. I'm not going to do something as gauche as ask or force you to join me or anything like that, not after our last encounter in the 11th Ward. My memories of that time are hazy, but I do remember you rejecting my proposal. No, I just wanted to talk. To quote Lewis Carrol, _The time has come, the Walrus said, to talk of many things, of shoes and ships and sealing wax, of cabbages and kings_. Perhaps I should start with something. I remember coming to this very place to save you, and yet, I can't remember why."

"Because I was the Raptor, wasn't it?" Harry asked thoughtlessly, before wincing. He was the Secret Keeper for the fact that he was the Raptor, so if Eto learned it, she couldn't reveal it, but still, it was a bad slipup.

Eto suddenly blinked, before she scowled. "So _that's_ what happened. Can't have been Obliviation, Tatara can't remember it…ah, the Fidelius. I heard about it when I heard about that fiasco with Sirius Black betraying your parents to Voldemort from my sources. You put the Fidelius on your secret identity. Clever, and I can't divulge the information to anyone else not in the know. So that means…" She cackled softly. "Your magic really packed a wallop, my dear Raptor. You must have seen my hair when some of my bandages went awry from your attacks."

"I only put it together after you slipped me the card. But why me?"

"Because, even if we are not friends, we have quite a bit in common, Harry. So does Ken. I actually did my homework into him after that fiasco in the 11th Ward. His father died when he was young, his mother died of _karoshi_ …but now, thanks to Kanou, he is a bridge between worlds, just as you are. A Ghoul who knew what it was like to be human. A half-breed caught between worlds, writing out her frustrations on paper and reality. And a wizard, raised by Ghouls, and sympathetic to them, seeing them as human rather than monsters. Between the three of us, perhaps things will get better. Because that is the thing, Harry. Even by opposing Aogiri Tree, you are achieving what I want to achieve. You oppose the CCG, V, and their masters. Your methods are just different. So, as a hint, I'd suggest you look, albeit discreetly, into the Washuu clan. They were the founders of what became the CCG."

"And what do you want to achieve?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"What do _you_ want to achieve? A world where your sister and your mother can live without fear, or at least aren't hunted down by most of humanity for the 'crime' of merely existing. What else do you think Kanou meant by his little birdcage metaphor? Now, I'm sure by now that you've been making comparisons in your head to Voldemort. Perhaps you're right in some regards. I'm too far gone to be anything but the villain of this tragedy, this story of Grand Guignol. But…you, and Ken…one day, you'll both be strong enough, along with your cute little Ghoulfriend and your sister, to beat me. I'll welcome that day when it comes, Harry. I may be a monster, but I'm a self-aware one. I feel very little left but hatred and despair at the world. As Shakespeare's Richard III said, _Since I cannot prove a lover to entertain these fair well-spoken days, I am determined to prove a villain and hate the idle pleasures of these days_."

"And you want Ken and I to be the heroes, so to speak," Harry said flatly.

"Yes. I wondered about whether you would play the part for some time, long before Ken had his little date with destiny…well, the Binge Eater. Even though you are not like me physically…you stood between two worlds from a young age," Eto said. "You fascinate me. And I'm sure, despite your moral posturing, I fascinate you too, even if you only have eyes for Ayato's cute sister."

She was right, Harry knew, even if he wouldn't admit it out loud. For all the fact that Eto was a senior member of Aogiri Tree, if not its leader, she was fascinating, in the same way a predatory animal was. Voldemort, while he had charisma, seemed more like some villain from some cartoon, like something not even human. But Eto…for all the fact that she was a monster, there was something about her that was human too.

After a moment, Harry then asked something. "Eto…do you have any idea who dropped those girders on Rize? Only…someone told me, it may not have been an accident. That someone actually caused those girders to drop."

Eto shrugged. "I've no idea, at least to the who…but I do have an idea as to the what. Nico, who left us after that fiasco in the 11th Ward, claims he heard that it was someone wearing a clown mask. And that's very interesting. In fact, there's a group of Ghouls going around calling themselves the Clowns. They're anarchists and shit-stirrers. I don't know much about them, annoyingly, but I don't think they have anything to do with V or the Washuu clan. The CCG fears them more than Aogiri Tree, which is even more annoying."

"My heart bleeds," Harry muttered sourly.

She chuckled. "…I'm going to enjoy watching you, Harry, and Ken too. I wonder…will you guys break from your burdens, or will you rise to the occasion? Either way, I get what I want…"

 **CHAPTER 16 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, we've had the reasons for Rize's rescue revealed, and Harry and Eto have had a nice little chat. That being said, I dunno when the next chapter will be out.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	18. Chapter 17: Thoughts and Understandings

**CHAPTER 17:**

 **THOUGHTS AND UNDERSTANDINGS**

"I have some good news with the twins," Shinohara said as he sat down with Harry in the park the next day, Akira Mado present as well, while Hinami played with Touka supervising nearby, to say nothing of Juuzou, who seemed to take a shine to Hinami, oddly enough. "While they have been imprisoned in Cochlea for the time being, what I've heard from above suggests that they're not going to stay there, and they'll be leaving alive, albeit on conditions. It'll take a while for them to agree, given their current state of mind, but with an extensive course of deprogramming, Kurona and Yashiro may end up becoming the first members of a new task force."

"A new task force?" Harry asked.

"Yes. Apparently it's been mooted, at least on a theoretical level, for some time. I personally think the idea itself was insane, given that it required those going through it to go through something similar to what the twins, to say nothing of Ken, went through. If we can deprogram the twins, we may have the first Investigators who have _kagunes_. Of course, Kanou's brainwashing was pretty thorough, and we have our work cut out for us. Some are already saying, kill them, it'd be kinder."

"With all due respect, sir, it would be. Dr Kanou brainwashed them into becoming his minions, as well as allowing him to perform that obscene procedure on them," Akira said. "In addition, like Kaneki, they can only survive off human flesh. At least Kaneki was merely a victim of Kanou's opportunism."

"I went to the trouble of saving them because they were victims of Kanou just like Ken was," Harry said. "And like Juuzou there was a victim of the Ghouls at the Ghoul Restaurant."

"Yes, you really did a number on that place," Shinohara said. "Next time, try not to burn the place down. Don't get me wrong, I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment of using fire to purge such places, but it's hell on gathering evidence."

"No promises."

"Unfortunately, Aogiri Tree now have Kanou," Akira said. "But why would a Ghoul terrorist organisation want a human doctor? Even if he could turn humans into Ghouls, why would they?"

"…Eto, one of the leaders of Aogiri Tree, hinted that she has an agenda beyond attacking humans," Harry said. "For some weird reason, she's got a fixation on me. Probably because I was raised by the Fueguchis. I'm a human, but raised by Ghouls. And given our backgrounds, she thinks we have some weird accord. She's the One-Eyed Owl."

"Or one of them, anyway," Shinohara said. "Kuroiwa and I are almost certain that there are two, one masquerading as the other, shaping their _kakuja_ into an imitation. One doesn't kill, or at least avoids killing, and the other…"

"Killed my parents," Akira said.

Harry nodded. "I know Eto killed them. But she's ridiculously powerful."

"I know that," Akira said, looking at him coldly. "Arima has been the only known Investigator to drive off the One-Eyed Owl, the one who murdered my parents. I will fight her if I must, but I will not go seeking my own death."

"Exactly," Harry said. "Revenge…it doesn't do much, except cause more ill-feelings. I took revenge when I killed that bastard Jason, but he was already half-dead anyway."

"So why didn't you kill my father or Amon for what they did to your father? It can't have been for anything so high-handed as avoiding causing enmity."

"Escalation, Mado," Shinohara said. "Harry realised that, should he kill a Dove for what they did to him, it would only have served to bring the wrath of the CCG onto those he held dear. That is why, when he rescued his mother and sister, he went out of his way to incapacitate rather than kill."

"Don't get me wrong. Given their reputations, there's a couple of Doves I'd gladly kill," Harry said, meeting their eyes. "I've heard some nasty stuff about some guy called Hachikawa, for example. But for the most part…you do good work, dealing with Ghouls who do deserve death. You just never considered the possibility that there are Ghouls who try to avoid killing to eat, or else target criminals, or at least you never thought about whether they did that because they didn't want to be monsters. My mother and my sister never killed to eat. And I will protect them, and those I hold dear. Because they showed me kindness and love, instead of turning me into food. They did more for me than my actual relatives."

Akira shook her head. "I still find it hard to believe. Do not misunderstand me, Harry Fueguchi, I can see how much you show affection for Hinami, and vice versa. And for a Ghoul to willingly keep a human as something other than a pet or a Scrapper for so many years…there has to be something more. But Ghouls have taken the lives of my friends or their families many times. My parents were taken from me by the One-Eyed Owl, this…Eto. While I am not quite as obsessed with vengeance as my father was, Ghouls are a clear and present danger. This is an immutable fact, and even a Ghoul with the best of morality has to feed on human flesh to survive, and the most convenient way to do so is to commit murder. How long is it before Hinami will have to kill, if she can't find any convenient suicides or cadavers?"

"Hopefully, never. I'd sooner let her eat a piece of me before I let her kill someone, at least for the sake of feeding," Harry said. "Touka at least only kills criminals, but if she ever got desperate, I'd let her do the same. Ken…he told me once that his mother told him that it's better to be hurt than to hurt others. While I disagree with that specific truism…it's not wholly untrue. Rather, I'd prefer, when I have to do harm, to do a minimum of it. Though fucks like Jason are an exception. Apropos of nothing…do you know of any Ghoul group called the Clowns?"

"Only in broad terms. Scary bastards. Although they generally work on their own, the few times they've teamed up, they show ridiculously good teamwork," Shinohara said. "Why?"

"Eto indicated that one of the Clowns was responsible for Rize getting pancaked by those girders," Harry said. "She also seemed to indicate that they were agent provocateurs. Which makes you wonder, why did they do this?"

"Who knows what goes through these monsters' heads?" Akira scoffed. "Besides, the Binge Eater, from what you said, angered a great number of Ghouls by bringing the CCG's attention onto them. It could have been a simple case of revenge if she had slighted one of the Clowns."

"Eto hinted at something else. And it seems odd that Dr Kanou conveniently had a Ghoul's organs on hand to give to Ken. We're only seeing part of the jigsaw here."

"Ain't that the truth," Shinohara muttered. "As much as I hate to accept the word of a Ghoul high up in Aogiri Tree, I can't just dismiss this. Even with the help of your group, we're only seeing what's happening dimly."

"I know."

* * *

Touka watched as Hinami ran around. _So carefree_ , she thought, _trying so hard to forget what she is, and that she's in danger in every waking moment_. She glanced back at Harry, where he was talking with the Doves, and suppressed a glare with difficulty. Even if the Doves tolerated them, and Touka tried to do the same, it was hard not to feel any animosity.

Sitting next to her on the park bench was the lanky, effeminate form of Juuzou Suzuya, scribbling drawings in his sketchbook. Touka, admittedly, had mixed feelings about the albino ex-Scrapper. She pitied his life, knowing that no kid should have to go through what he did, up to and including getting turned into a eunuch via a mallet wielded by Big Madam (who, sadly, wasn't present when they burned the Ghoul Restaurant to the ground). But he was also a violent psycho whose grasp on morality was shaky, if non-existent.

He also had a knack of asking annoying questions that had a habit of getting under her skin.

The scary thing is, Juuzou seemed to get along surprisingly well with Hinami. Perhaps even the deranged young Dove recognised the innocence he had lost as a Scrapper, despite Hinami being a Ghoul. Plus, the two liked drawing, oddly enough, and the two swapped notes. Then again, Juuzou seemed to follow Shinohara's lead. Maybe that was the only reason he was doing this.

"I used to know Kurona and Nashiro back in school," Juuzou remarked. "It's weird. They really wanted to be Investigators, and yet, they agreed to Dr Kanou turning them into Ghouls. Why'd they want to do that?"

"Kanou tricked them, even maybe brainwashed them," Touka said. "Otherwise, why would anyone want to be a Ghoul unless they were a monster already?"

Juuzou tugged on his lip, or rather, the stitches he'd sewn into them. "Hmm. And you've got that guy Ken Kaneki. I was there that night, when you guys got him out of Aogiri Tree. Made this awesome entrance on that rude guy Marude's motorbike, driving it up the ramp to go flying at the building. I was all like…whoosh! And then, I was screaming at the Ghouls, who were so dumbstruck with my awesome, ' _GOOD EVENIIIIING!_ ' I want to do that again. Anyway…I dunno what I'd do if I couldn't have my favourite sweets anymore. Ken's an unlucky guy. Seems to be a lot of unlucky people in the world." He gestured at Hinami. "Take her. Sweet little kid, and yet, she's a Ghoul, and so, she's gotta eat human meat. Shinohara tells me she's a nice girl, though."

"…Yes, she is. We don't want her to lose that. I lost it myself, long ago."

"Dunno about that. I mean, you're a prickly _tsundere_ , but…well, you care about Harry, right? And Hinami? I mean, don't get me wrong, if we have to fight, we'll fight, and I'd probably have fun. But…I like this. It's…nice."

There was a wistful tone to Juuzou's usually lilting singsong tones. Touka sighed quietly. "Yeah. I guess. But life's not filled with nice stuff."

"Nah, it's filled with pain and blood and entrails. I know that very wellll," Juuzou said. "But…Shinohara's so nice to me. I dunno why he's so nice to me. I know what I am, Touka. I'm a monster, just like a Ghoul."

"…Maybe he tries to see good in people," Touka said. "I don't think like that."

"And yet, the way you speak, it's like you don't see us humans just as walking bento boxes," Juuzou said. "Or toys. Eh, this stuff bores me."

Touka nodded. She was more than a little introspective. She couldn't help it, even if she despised it. Then, after a moment, she asked, "So, did you seriously make an entrance on a motorbike at Aogiri Tree's hideout?"

"Yep, just like in the movies!" Juuzou chirped. "I think some bodycams picked me up. I'll see if I can get Shinohara to get you a copy…"

* * *

As they left the park, ready to head back to base, Touka sighed. "I never really like these meetings. Even if they're our allies, they're Doves. Ghoul hunters."

"As far as dealing with Aogiri Tree is concerned, we're on the same side there. Telling them Eto's true identity might end up with a massive mess, though. Especially if she divulges Yoshimura's name out of spite. We may be on bad terms at the moment, but I don't want him or anyone else at Anteiku dead, and if they learn that there's a massive undercover group of Ghouls, peaceful or not, in the 20th Ward…"

"…Yeah. I don't like it, though. I don't like the way Mado or Amon look at me. And if they ever learned we have Tsukiyama in our little group…"

"Yeah. He's pretty infamous. And from what Yoshimura told me, the Tsukiyama family consanguineous marriage. And they're all a bit touched. Remember that German retainer of his we met not so long ago, Kanae…only, Hinami found out through smell that she's a girl dressed up as a guy? And apparently she's his cousin or something. She's got some sort of thing for him, and she doesn't like us."

"The feeling's mutual. She isn't as crazy as Tsukiyama, but she's certainly vicious enough."

"She's sad," Hinami said suddenly. "She wants to be with Mr Tsukiyama. I tried telling her to admit that to him, but she said her duty would get in the way. She seems to like me, though."

"Everyone who's a decent person would like you, Hinami," Harry said to his adoptive sister. "Now, let's go and see whether Hermione and Ken have gotten anything else about the Washuu…"

 **CHAPTER 17 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Just a bit of filler, with some namedropping of other characters, including Kanae/Karren. That being said, I finally began my Harry/Eto story, titled** ** _Janus_** **. After so long and troubled a genesis, it's been posted as a full story, at 16 chapters as of writing. If you want a different take on a** ** _Tokyo Ghoul_** **crossover with the Potterverse, give it a go, assuming you haven't already. I dunno when the next chapters for either** ** _Janus_** **or this fic will be done, though.**

 **Review-answering time!** **Leicontis** **: Either way is fine. :P**

 **Guest** **(regarding Yoshimura and other matters): I think of Yoshimura as being closer to canon Dumbledore (save for the more Machiavellian tendencies: your comparison to Remus is valid, but Remus has never really held any true position of authority comparable to Yoshimura), but in that his desire to redeem others actually bears better fruit. Also, I've done a different Harry/Eto story, a little closer to** ** _Tokyo Ghoul_** **canon, at least at first, as mentioned above. And regarding the Clown seen at Madam A's dinner party at the Ghoul Restaurant? Well, I guess I can spoil one thing: he was the guy responsible for the girders pancaking Rize. He also becomes a prominent character in** ** _Tokyo Ghoul: re_** **, without his mask, so I won't spoil his actual identity, though you do see him without his mask VERY briefly in the first manga series.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	19. Chapter 18: Blooms

**CHAPTER 18:**

 **BLOOMS**

When they got back to their headquarters (though they had Hinami go to her room to do some homework, of sorts), they found an unexpected guest present. It was as if their discussion about Kanae summoned her presence. Then again, she wasn't supposed to know about their hideout, which meant that Tsukiyama had stolen a piece of paper with the location of the house and shown it to her.

Kanae, whose real name they had learned from Tsukiyama was Karren, was an androgynous-looking young woman about their age, albeit with a bearing that made her look older, looking both attractive and yet oddly masculine. She was dressed in a rather severe suit, her short brown hair having a faint blue or purple tint to it, her eyes seemingly brown at first glance, only apparently mahogany on closer inspection. She also had rather thick eyebrows, though they didn't detract much from her looks. She was speaking to Remus and Hermione in German as they arrived, most of the others (aside from Tsukiyama, who had a pleased smile) looking on in bemusement.

She looked up when they entered, and switched to Japanese. "So, you are back? Master Shu tells me you go to meet with Doves," Kanae said, frowning. "You play a dangerous game doing so."

"Of course we are," Touka said, rolling her eyes. "But Aogiri Tree is a mutual foe, and besides, it's Doves we can…dunno if trust is the right word. Allying ourselves with them for mutual gain, more like. A bit like with your master being with us. Though why he let you in on the Fidelius…"

Tsukiyama held up his hands. "Karren was getting worried about me, and my spending time with you all, as were my family and servants. This was the best way to reassure them, and I consulted Monsieur Lupin prior to doing so. In truth, here, she can relax a little, away from the eyes of my family, without being judged. I can even call her by her true name."

"Master Shu, even so…" Karren said, looking a little discomfited.

"Of course, the habits of a lifetime are not an easy thing to shake off," the Gourmet said. "And then, there is the fact that she too has a stake in bringing down the CCG, or rather, the Washuu."

"Matsuri Washuu was the one who exterminated my family," Karren said, gritting her teeth. "If your group does take action against the Washuu, then…I detest being vulgar, but being given his head on a platter would bring a smile to my face."

"That's going to be a long way off," Harry said.

"Yes, I know, but…never mind. I still feel that you all are a bad influence for Master Shu."

Tsukiyama frowned. "Karren, if you are still sore about my participating in their raid on the Ghoul Restaurant…"

Karren said something in German to Tsukiyama, and they briefly conversed in the language, with Tsukiyama apparently rebuking his servant and confidante, albeit gently. Eventually, Karren said, "In any case, Master Shu wishes for me to join this little group. However, I believe I have no fresh information to give the group for now. I doubt Master Shu's little mouse has anything either."

"No, Chie doesn't have much, though she is doing some research on her own," Tsukiyama said.

"And I'm not sure if we have much in the way about the Washuu," Hermione said, pursing her lips. "They have been noted Ghoul hunters for some time. They established the organisation that eventually became the CCG back in 1890, having been enlisted by the Japanese government. Politically, they're virtually unassailable, with fingers in a lot of pies. They ran a number of _zaibatsus_ before they were broken up after the Second World War."

"Do you think Eto was misdirecting us by telling us to look into their affairs?" Ryouko asked.

Ken shook his head. "The truth can be often a more effective weapon than a lie, even if she won't give us a straight answer. We have one possible source of information about the Washuu and this 'V' organisation, namely Yoshimura, but I doubt he'll give us a straight answer, presumably for our own good."

Harry nodded. As much as he was alienated from the elderly Ghoul, he wasn't sure he wanted to go as far as to interrogate him using Veritaserum. "But given that the Washuu have links to V, an organisation that utilised Ghouls, they clearly have pet Ghouls under their control, which is scandalous enough."

"We wouldn't be able to make such an accusation stick without evidence, though," Ken said.

"And I'm sure that the Washuu have disappeared people before who had any, or else attempted to blackmail them," Hermione said. "They probably have allies within the local Ministry of Magic, perhaps even in the DMLE."

"Arima may be the key," Ken said. "Harry, you keep saying he's more than a human. Hermione and I have been looking into him. We found pictures of him from high school. He's thirty years old, and yet…his hair has gone completely and prematurely white. It was originally blue."

"And we think it may be a form of progeria," Hermione said.

"Progeria?" Banjou asked. "The hell is that?"

"It's a type of genetic disorder that causes premature ageing," Hermione pointed out. "Technically, the umbrella term is a progeroid syndrome, with progeria being a specific type of premature ageing in children, while there are other progeroid syndromes that mostly affect adolescents and adults. However, Arima doesn't have the short stature associated with Werner Syndrome or Bloom Syndrome, or indeed many progeroid syndromes. We actually looked into some of the best Doves, particularly those like Arima whose profiles are just a touch too immaculate. And there have been a few that did die prematurely of diseases that generally affect the elderly or immune-deficient."

"…They're engineering Doves through breeding," Touka realised. "But how does that cause premature ageing?"

"It's possible if they are using genetic engineering rather than breeding," Hermione said. "Arima is 30 years old. Genetic modification techniques back then would have been crude and nasty. Even now, they're still troublesome. It could even have interfered with the telomeres of the chromosomes, and…"

"We get the picture," Karren said, waving her hand impatiently. "The CCG, or at least the Washuu, are involved in unethical experiments, yes? That's your hypothesis? They use both Ghouls and genetically-modified humans to do their dirty work. It does sound scarily plausible. Still, you'd think there would be something a little…grander is not the word I am looking for. If this Eto has more of an agenda for Aogiri Tree than causing _Unordnung_ …forgive me, I mean chaos, there must be something more with the Washuu. Actually…that Doctor Kanou…could he have been doing his research on the quiet approval of the Washuu?"

"It may be possible," Ken conceded. "If they are really involved in experimentation like this, covertly helping Kanou wouldn't be out of the question. But if that was the case, why am I still at liberty?"

"Because you're a guinea pig," Touka said bluntly. "Don't get me wrong, the Washuu funding Kanou's experiments doesn't feel right, if only because you're still at liberty, but if they're watching you and trying to figure out your potential…"

"We'll work under the assumption that Kanou funded himself until recently," Harry decided. "Besides, he didn't seem like the sort who liked authority. You know, all that crap about how the world is a birdcage…doesn't that sound like he wants to overturn the existing order? Unless he's decided to betray them, which is more than likely anyway."

"You have a point," Hermione said. "And given that the Washuu are a part of that…"

"In other words, we have one hell of a jigsaw, and not enough pieces," Ken groused. "Damn…"

* * *

The meeting of 'Unravel' was adjourned. Tsukiyama and Karren went home for now, as did Banjou and his followers. Ken leaned back on his chair. "God, I'm tired."

"Being a Ghoul and the nocturnal activities that comes part and parcel don't exactly help with the lifestyle," Remus joked.

Ken smiled a wan smile. "…Yeah, I guess. Trying to figure out what's going on with everything, Aogiri, the CCG, the Washuu, V…it's pretty exhausting."

"The fact that you learned one of your favourite authors is a homicidal psychopath doesn't help either, does it?" Touka asked.

Ken shook his head. "Actually, I'm coping a bit better with learning that Sen Takatsuki is actually Eto. Even if we're enemies…there's a sort of understanding. Really, it puts what she wrote about into context. And I have to wonder…if Yoshimura actually raised her himself, or if he gave her to someone else…would she have turned out better? Then again, it's too late to regret anything, or at least wallow in regret. Yoshimura and Eto made their choices, for better or for worse." He shook his head again. "Sorry, I'm getting maudlin. The others aren't here anymore. I should be relaxing."

Hermione nodded, rubbing his back. "Yes, Ken. You've been running yourself ragged, to say nothing of what you've been doing to develop a _kakuja_. You've managed to stay sane with our help, but still…Ken, I've said it before, and it bears repeating: you're skating close to the edge. Getting stronger doesn't mean anything if you end up hurting or killing those you care about."

"I know, it's just…never mind. I'm glad you all came with me. Ryouko, you and Hinami have been more of a family than…well, anyone. I wish I had a mother like you."

"…Why?" Ryouko asked.

"…When I was being tortured by Jason…Rize appeared to me. I have hallucinated her a couple of times," Ken confessed. "She reminded me that my mother…didn't treat me as well as I wanted to remember. While she was a good person, there were times when she'd snap under pressure, and…attack me. And she gave much of her money to her sister, and my aunt treated me with contempt when I was adopted by her. Some small part of me resents my mother. But you…even though you're a Ghoul, you are one of the most gentle and peaceable people it has ever been my pleasure to know. And Hinami…I wish I had a little sister like her. Remus is the father I never really knew." He then looked to Harry and Touka. "Harry…Touka…thank you, for everything. You helped me come to terms with my situation, for helping me realise that not all Ghouls are monsters. And Hermione…thank you for showing me unwarranted kindness."

"Now listen here, Ken Kaneki!" Hermione snapped. "It is not unwarranted! I know what it's like to be isolated, to feel alone in the world! Even at Hogwarts, it was like that! When people weren't taunting me for being a Muggleborn, they called me a know-it-all instead! I saw a bit of myself in you, as I tell you so often! You've just got this overwhelming self-hatred thing going, and I think you had it even before you became a Ghoul. You're my boyfriend, okay?"

"…Yeah. I'm still trying to believe it," Ken admitted. "I just…"

"You're a former doormat who's had a big wake-up call, and you're still getting used to it," Touka said bluntly. "What Kanou and Jason did to you fucked you up, but you're still you. Listen…life's full of shit, full of horror and tragedy, I get that. I had to kill my first Dove when I was a kid. I've had to hide who I am from the few human friends I've had. My brother has joined a group of psychopaths, and my father is basically armour for the Doves now. But…Yoshimura, Harry, and so many others…there's good stuff in life, they showed me. Ken, you've got us, and you've got Hide supporting you. So stop being such an emo wimp, and just accept some good in your life!"

"…Emo wimp?" Ken asked, a little incredulously, peering at Touka.

"…Really? My entire impassioned speech, totally improvised, by the way, and you focus on me calling you an emo wimp?"

"She's not wrong," Hermione said. "I use it all the time when he's brooding more than Sasuke Uchiha, though don't you get broody, Touka?"

Touka scowled. "Bite me. No, on second thoughts, I'd bite you. Besides, if you think Ken and I are bad, you should've seen my brother. Harry, didn't you say Eto called him a _chuunibyo?_ That'd suit him perfectly if he weren't a bloody Ghoul terrorist as well. I mean, seriously, look at us. The only non-Ghouls in the room are wizards, and of those, one is a werewolf, another's infamous in magic circles because he survived a warlock terrorist, and you, Hermione, you were an outcast who survived a society filled with a bunch of inbred retarded snobs who hated the fact that you were smarter and more competent than the majority of them _combined_. My point is normalcy is highly overrated. Peace is fine, but normality?" She scoffed.

"That was a nice speech, Touka, even if it was a bit rough," Ryouko said with a smile. "And you're right. Ken, you're amongst friends. Even if any one of us meets a tragic end, it's better to live on. My husband was killed by Doves, though I personally hold Jason more responsible, but…I want to live for Hinami and Harry's sake. And Remus'."

Remus nodded. "And I know what it's like to have my life turned upside down by being made into something monstrous. I was lucky. My parents supported me, even my anti-werewolf father. And you were too. You had friends. Even Hide, working for the CCG, supports you."

"I get it," Ken said quietly. "I just…I just wish I could do more. Be more. To protect those I care about. And I…"

Whatever Ken intended to say was interrupted by a trill from Harry's mobile. He winced, realising he forgot to turn it off before attending the Unravel meeting. He frowned when he saw the number, before answering it. "Eto."

" _Ah, my dear Raptor. I'd love to ask how you're doing, but I am sure you want me to get straight to the point. Now, I have a few contacts here and there in the CCG, as you do. And one of them has just gotten back to me. The CCG have decided to target my father, believing him to be the One-Eyed Owl, and purge the 20_ _th_ _Ward. In truth, I think they're trying to lure little old me out. Now, personally, I couldn't give a shit about the weaklings under my sperm donor's aegis, but I know you do. Consider this a favour. I want to see what you and your little band of heroes do. I'll be watching_ …"

 **CHAPTER 18 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, the storm is about to break. Oh dear.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


End file.
